Our Fall
by SCBM
Summary: One MEC trooper, his Drone, a Boy, and an Alien, are determined to find out why, and how, the world was doomed from the start. As they explore a vast urban wasteland where its kill or be killed, and worlds collide.
1. The MEC

The target fled across the plains, and behind, the MEC marched on, following.

The desolate plains soon faded into tarmac roads that spread like ribbons across the ground the MEC walked upon. He had been kicking up dust in large clumps with his metallic feet every step of the way.

The MEC passed the miles with ease, not in a hurry, but not loafing. Each step was precisely a single second apart from each other, and with each _thud_ to the ground, a whirr of motors accompanied it.

Indeed he was human at heart, but over the past year, he had changed, and in a literal sense. His entire body (save for his head, heart and lungs, and a few lower intestines) had been replaced, changed from bionics to robotics, a giant MK-3 variant replaced his figure, making him stand at an intimidating eight or so feet tall.

His steel legs were shaped like a dogs would, curling back at the middle, then going straight to the ground, they were thick, the size of small adults. Strapped to the left leg was his personal revolver, well oiled, giving a shiny look to the powerful canon. It swayed slightly with each step, rubbing off the black paint of his Paladin armour. The bronze and gold casings of the high calibre bullets lined his chest and lower waist like smiles, some were already in auto loaders, ready to fire, but most hung loosely around him.

On his back, a long tube was attached to his back, carrying a ton or two of explosive ordinance. He had been walking for the past two days nonstop, and only used one grenade during that time. Across his left arm was basically a jet engine, used only for 'punching the shit out of everything', and if that didn't work, a small flamethrower donned the top of the engine.

Carried in his right hand was his most prized possession. A minigun. One barrel of ammo jutting out of the side, the rest of the drum bags were on his back, magnetised in place.

All in all, he was prepared for war, just as he had always been.

And he thought, and knew, he would need every last bullet.

As the MEC clunked forward, the road he stood upon led ever further north. The same way, the _only_ way, his target had went.

The road was faded, two grey lines tracked across the path, trucks and cars, probably going back the way he came long ago, as no sane person would head north rather than south.

He lifted his head high, his helmet, covering all parts of his tanned head, hid his face behind a black skull, he grimaced behind the one way glass of his helmet. Spying the deadly city most only heard rumours about, legends even.

He breasted a small hill to his right, leaving the road and stepping upon a dead grass crest in the plains. He could not feel what lay beneath his feet, the cyber suit took that away from him, took a lot of his humanity away, leaving him as the perfect soldier.

A machine of war.

About three miles ahead, the low hovels of the urban city started sprawling out of the ground, four smoke trails reached into the skies from the depths of the city. A rookie would panic here and now if they ever gazed upon the city, but being the rank of Colonel, the MEC was willing, no matter the cost, to find his target. He squatted his black metal form.

He looked over the city, slightly below him, but still quite a ways away, he watched on like a farmer would his crops. He decided to take a rare rest, closing his eyes slowly. He would not need to worry about aliens or humans, not yet at least.

The ebony skies were changing now, sunrise was upon him, his sleeping pattern was lost to him, as were a lot of things. But he knew he shouldn't enter such a place without at least some rest beforehand. He was not cold, nor was he hot, just that plain, boring sense of fineness, he longed for the days of feeling temperature change, but knew that he would never be the same, nor would the earth, regardless whether he succeeded or failed in his quest.

He slept still, although it looked like he was still awake of looked at from a distance. He closed his eyes behind his helmet of death, and much to his pleasure, he dreamt.

- _XXX-_

In a small quiet little town in Cairns, along the east coast of Australia, early February, in the year of 2015. The man who would become the machine of war lay on his couch, bottle in hand, tears running down his face. The sunlights rays shot through the blinds in his windows like beams. He had his flat screen TV on, playing the same section of news over and over, he forced himself to watch the infinite loop of images of burning buildings and wrecks of civilization, with a young woman's voice saying the same, dreadful news.

"The city of Townsville is still in recovery after a major attack from a large alien vessel decimated the community. Casualties have been confirmed to be at least one hundred thousand in number. The number of wounded is unknown but estimated to be around fifty thousand. Emergency services and military groups are still searching for survivors but... sorry, I… Let's go live to our reporter in one of the many medical camps in the town…"

 _I know how you feel love, I know how you feel._

He took another swig, one of many. Townsville was the place he lived most of his life, and expected to die there as well. But thanks to living in his father's shadow (and less than average grades in school) he joined the defence force and was quickly whisked away by the military.

But thanks to the spineless government that ran his country, how they suckled at the teats of whichever country held them like puppets, he met combat duty within a matter of weeks, fighting over a piece of dirt in the middle east.

His mother, somehow expectantly, begged him to stay, and maybe he should have, but he didn't.

He went from Corporal and then Sergeant faster than his officers expected him to. He had probably the most developed, healthy and downright _perfect_ body. Somewhat tall, quite built, and the endurance to run across the world and back, and no one doubted he could.

During one of his operations, _it_ happened.

Specifically, the thing on the news happened.

During the history of mankind. The matter of life beyond this planet was in constant debate, he personally thought they would come down in a big green ship, hold up a hand in greeting, and speak there piece.

The destruction of his parents hometown broke that speculation.

He did not see the fires of his hometown destroy everything he once knew straight away. But when he did, he requested discharge, blaming it on mentally unable to continue. A few clever lies, a fake injury or two, and a good word from his CO. He got his wish, and returned home.

Bought a home in Cairns, and drunk himself to sleep for most days, just like this one.

A day later, a knock on the door, and a bearer of messengers told him bad news, bad, but expected. Two deaths in his family name, mum and dad.

He thanked him, and never left his house after that day. He would watch the news, drink, sleep, order delivery, then sleep some more. That was his new life cycle now.

After a few weeks, his pristine body now somewhat down in quality, he got another knock on the door.

He ignored it, like he ignored the outside world.

 _Thump thump thump._

He sighed in defeat, and drew himself to the wooden door in question, after a minute, he opened it. Two figures, black suited men, stared back at him, the one in front held a clipboard.

The one with the clipboard asked his name, and he confirmed it.

"Were here for you. Come with us."

Although the two suits were shorter than him, less muscle, they weren't afraid of him, and as he observed, they both were packing heat, and they wouldn't hesitate to use it, even in this place.

Ten minutes later, he was riding along a highway in the back of a black sedan. An hour later, he was flying high above the sea, right into the heart of America.

- _XXX-_

He never made friends during his time in the middle east, merely acquainted with them, not bothering to learn their names, or remember them. He'd call them 'Man' or 'Hey, you!'. And this didn't change when he entered the ranks of XCOM.

He was simply the twentieth soldier to be recruited into the earth defence fold. The first batch of rookies, and he stood out from them. His first mission was to assault a downed UFO, and he succeeded (again, despite others doubts) and quickly ascended the ranks as he had done before. In between missions, he would eat, train, and exercise alone, or as much as he could.

Life was just as repetitive as before, only with a few aliens in the mix.

One night in the training grounds, an unknown amount of distance beneath the surface of the earth, he had been running on a treadmill like a hamster, reaching about ten kilometres according to the dials in front of him, a fast pace, like those afternoon jogs he used to do back in his home town.

He was alone, only the _clunk clunk_ of his heavy booted feet accompanied the room, that was until the far door slid open, and a figure approached him.

Her face illuminated after a moment, and she gave a big friendly smile.

Such things made him cringe on the inside.

He already knew what she was to do the moment she walked in.

She raises her fists in a trained, battle hardened combat stance.

He had seen this woman around, she was part of his batch of recruits to 'join' up with XCOM. Her jet black hair bundled up neatly on the back of her head, her curvy body always got a look from the others, she was not just looks, she was tough, and fast, by god was she fast.

He simply ran, on the spot, without so much as a word to acknowledge her.

Before he could even comprehend what happened next, he was on the ground, with a fist to his chin.

Two fists.

One after the other, she swung her arms in great arcs, landing blows on his (still confused) form, particularly his head. Defensively, he raises his arms to defend his face, blocking blows like a boxer. His arms recoiled with each relentless hit, but at least the pain in his face had now eased.

He counted the seconds between each hit, his eyes were of no use, his arms blocked the way.

One.

A bit less than one second, two strikes to his arms.

Her strikes were precise – and deadly. After the fourth set of two swings, he opened his defuses, and reached out.

Two solid matters greeted his palms, he clasped.

Now it was his turn to pounce.

He through her arms to his left side, her body followed through, just as he was about to bring one of his own fists to her, a boot smacked his right temple, dazing him.

Indeed, she was _flexible._

With one eye closed, he scrambled to his feet, there she crouched, like a tiger ready to pounce, one foot dabbed in the tiniest of blood.

She lunged.

He brought a clenched hand down. His _good_ hand.

His mother was always one to playfully criticise him for his odd stance, be that in writing or typing, calling him a _lefty,_ a rare breed, nothing like his right handed elders. His father wasn't as bothered, or ready to make fun of, but he'd laugh when his mum asked him if he used the left or right to 'do his business' when he was alone, but he didn't mind.

The left got the job done.

She was on the floor, face first onto the metal ground, groaning in obvious pain.

He let out a long held in breath, hands on his knees, gasping.

A sudden pain in his stomach.

He may have stopped, but she sure hadn't.

She gave a great hook, he barely ducked in time to avoid the blow as the passing wind went above his head. He had no time to celebrate, she kicked him again – this time in the leg.

He staggered, struck her again, and again, and again.

All thoughts of assaulting a fellow soldier were out the window, down the nearest street, and on the bus to the furthest stop.

After all, she started it.

She was now leant on her side, they had backed up into a corner of the room, more specifically, the weight section of the room. He grasped a nearby dumbbell, and brought it to her.

He may have gone for the head, but that may have killed or, as his mother liked to put it 'fucked her up good'. So, he struck her side, and she fell… again.

Only this time, she didn't get up, at least, not as fast.

"S… Susan..." he wheezed to the coughing body before him. Dropping the dumbbell with a _thud._

"Not… Not now, or ever."

Susan stuck a middle digit without looking to his direction. He fell to his haunches, the treadmill behind him still going along as if nothing happened.

She went into a cross legged position after a minute of resting. Her left eyes was ever so slightly blackened, but she looked better off than he did. He had a bloody mouth, and a nasty swell near the top of his head. She still somehow looked beautiful even after a fight like that.

"Someday." she said.

Before and after missions, Susan would be looking for 'cool downs' to suit her spare time. So, with hesitance from command, they had set up 'fighting rings' for some 'stress relief' for the soldiers. Under supervision of course, but since she had beaten almost everyone in the base, and the man who now sat across from her never participated, she got restless, and so here she was, attacking him were she thought he would least expect it.

And got her ass handed to her.

"Attacking a higher ranking solder… _any_ soldier, can get you…"

"Yeah I know… won't tell on me, will you?"

He never was one to socialize, friends were on the lower end of prioritise, however Susan – for whatever reason – had been like an annoying mosquito that wouldn't let up. Maybe it was the fact he was not one to fight, or one of the stronger men in the base. He knew not the answer, and he never hung around woman to know if big muscles meant big attention.

But the hole that his parents death gave him needed to be filled, somehow.

"Maybe."

"You grumpy old bastard." she laughed.

"You're as old as me."

"Still younger."

"If there is nothing else." He sits up. "Do leave me be."

"Well, there is a mission were supposed to get going to…"

He had just made it to the running treadmill, he flicked a switch on the dash, and the tracks stopped rolling, he squinted one black eye in her direction, a death stare.

"And you told me this _after_ I beat the shit out of you?"

"You would've ignored me if I hadn't gotten your attention."

She was right, but still…

He grabs a hand towel he left on a railing nearby, dried his face, chucked it back, and left, not looking at the slightly shorter human as she jogged to catch up to him.

They winded through the halls, towards the hanger.

"Where?"

"Australia, home sweet home."

"Why?"

"A small community, Mount Sandstone, were gonna test a new chemical weapon on the bugs that have spread there."

Humanity had to have been indeed on its last heels now. Never in history had they used chemical warfare on _this_ scale before, a whole community, wiped out due to bugs. He wondered how this looked in the aliens eyes, did they think their actions harsh like humans did?

Did aliens even have morals? Regulation?

He highly doubted that.

So they left, carrying laser rifles into the Skyranger, them and three others. Going across the pacific ocean, and into the hot country of Australia in a matter of hours.

-XXX-

On the edges of the urban wasteland, he opened his eyes slowly, scanning all around him, only one signal, not one of heat, was fast approaching him from the north, from the city.

Others would raise their guns, search for the signal, but not him, this was different.

Yes, he did prefer solitude over company, but if he was to go forward, he needed help. He would not admit this openly, but it was true. That's why he sent someone to scout ahead.

Someone, was more like some _thing._

The signal was now on him, and he looked up. A drone, a floating ball with four crooked arms coming out of its front, flew down and hovered before him. Its central eye was a glowing green, not like the time he first met it when it was blue.

The drone was not of this world. Yet with a bit of tinkering, and an Arc pulse or two, the MEC was now its master.

It beeped, sort of like wind chimes, or a happy bird, or both.

"Anything?" the MEC's filtered, deep voice spoke.

A few beeps, and it bobbed up and down like it was nodding.

"Thanks Bud."

They moved, and floated, back where the drone came from.

The MEC named the drone 'Bud' because that was what he was, a buddy. He helped out, repaired his suit, scouted, maybe even help reload his mags and auto loaders, though his arced arms always had trouble with the bullets. And best of all, he didn't talk, didn't annoy nor talk back, and its beeping was better than actual words, as he found out the hard way.

They moved up and down small slopes in the road for a half hour, in silence, only the motors of the MEC's suit could be heard for miles around.

That was until the shouting was picked up by their sensors.

Shouting, and the sounds of engines. Up ahead.

Now the city began its true growth, the buildings now became slightly more denser, and the street was wide, filled with husks and wrecks of cars. Some abandoned, others charred black or brown, rusted beyond belief, as if they had been sitting here for years.

The weak asphalt beneath them cracked with each step he took, creating small webs of destruction in his wake. But the path beneath was already devastated, so adding to it didn't effect it much.

Ahead, an American APC, covered in urban camouflage. Lined the sides of the road like a blockade. Next to it were army guys, marines maybe, wearing Kevlar and holding rifles, were waving him and Bud over.

They approached within hearing range, the MEC lifted up his minigun, and gave a curt nod with his skull faced helmet.

"You our reinforcements?" One of the marines said.

"No."

"You here to help then?"

"I'm here to get through."

"You could help us out with the civies, then we'll clear out the…"

The MEC paid no heed to what the marine said. True, he did not want to help deal with their problems, but as he scanned ahead, he saw at least a hundred or so people, wearing tattered clothes and rags, chanting in protest at the marines. Some held signs, but all had faces of a lost people.

He interrupted the still talking marine.

"I'm going through."

"Hey… Some of our guys on the north end are a few men short, they could use a-"

"Fine."

He stomped passed the marine, and six marines flanked the MEC. Past the APC, a line of army guys with shields locked arms as an impromptu defence against the restless crowd. He sent Bud to check on the northern defence, and found the marine wasn't lying, they needed help.

One of his newfound marines tapped on the shoulder of one of the shield bearers.

"Make way!"

"MAKE WAY!" the shield bearer repeated to the others.

Like the gate of a castle, seven or so of the shield bearers parted in the middle, and the MEC marched forward, gun trained threateningly on the protesters, he even whirled up the barrel to make things easier.

The eyes of the people widened in fear, at least, the ones nearby. And slowly the seven marines, with the MEC in the middle, slowly trekked across the expansive group of nuthouses and freaks. The stubborn and stupid began throwing things at him in particular, bottles, shoes, maybe even a pipe or knife. All of them _plinked_ when they hit his chassis, and bounced off harmlessly to the ground.

None of them had guns, that was good.

Screaming, chanting and shouting filled his ears, one of the marines yelled something, but he didn't hear it. Bud flew overhead, just out of sight, but still acted as a guardian angel in this place. Showing the MEC a top-down view of what was happening.

As they got deeper, somewhere around the centre of the crowd, the people became restless, throwing punches or smacking the soldiers with pieces of sharpened wood. And the seven of them shuffled together, the MEC's legs brushed slightly against the soldiers that was how close they were.

Snarling faces of desperate people filled his vision.

"Assholes!"

"Killers!"

"Fuckin' robot!"

"Show us who you _really_ are!"

Trying to ignore screaming men and women in the middle of a crowd was tough, even with an air tight helmet, he took pity on his fellow soldiers, they must be deaf from all this.

About ten meters now, the northern barricade was seen, they were almost there. But only a fool would think they would reach it without incident.

The guy in front took one too many steps away from the group, and fell into the clutches of two burly dudes, bringing the group to a halt.

"Jones!" the soldier to his left cried, pointing a gun at the men in one hand, clutching Jones shoulder with the other. Another marine went to help, but the crowd was growing more bold, some now downright lunged at them in attempts to harm or hinder them in any way they could.

The other soldiers yelled for them to stay back, but it wasn't working. Jones was covered in hands like ants, and was slowly being pulled into the swarm of the angry mob. Nothing, not even the MEC's minigun could stop them from dragging him away.

Jones scream could be heard, the people near him brought down fists of fury to his laying down form.

The MEC angled his back towards where he thought Jones was, and three _chunks_ sounded out from the tube on his back.

Tear gas.

Deadly eye-stinging tear gas.

Screams of anger turned into cries of pain as they backed off like roaches from a spray. Clutching their faces as if they were burning.

Jones' gun was gone, now that the way was parted, one of the marines carried him, hoisting him up to his side.

The MEC scanned.

Jones' gun was picked up by a young girl, no older than eighteen, and she beared it towards the marine that held Jones.

Throwing protocol to the wind, the MEC's left arm was a blur, and his hand levelled to the canon on his leg, and aimed it to the girl.

Three claps of thunder.

A thud.

A scream.

The group pushed to the gates of more shield bearers, all intact, all accounted for.

The marines trained guns on the crowd behind them, from the safety of shields. Jones' looked up at the MEC, who had just holstered his revolver.

"Th-Thank you sir, I wouldn't… phew…"

"Good luck."

The MEC nodded to the other marine, and walked off. Leaving the dumbstruck marines to think about who the hell this robo-man was, and how he had destroyed a rifle in three bullets, without killing anyone.

The MEC never looked back, he simply strode along the house lined road, the distant chanting of the protest soon dying out to the wind. But those words brought chills to his head. Those words would have brief pauses between them, and were consistent, the chanting soon faded, but it still rung through him.

" _Exalted! United! Exalted! United! Exalted! United!"_


	2. The Boy

_-XXX-_

"Just how the hell did this happen?"

"Extremely encrypted messages were found amidst the terminals in the control room. I'm afraid it was from within."

"What's our status on the nations?"

"Hanger bays in South America and Europe are out of power, were alone out here."

"Shen, who isn't accounted for?"

"We lost twenty staff, some sort of mind control took them. We lost two Sergeants and a Colonel, and… one MEC trooper is missing."

"Central?"

"Doctor?"

"Perhaps it's time to start up those projects that the Commander belayed."

"Vahlen, just because she not here, doesn't mean you can do whatever you want."

"I'm afraid Central, that we have no other choice. Funding will be at an all time low once the council gets wind that she's gone. And these projects, Shen's Julian program and my genetic upgrades, are all we have left to keep the aliens at bay."

"I have to agree with her as well. We won't hold this base for long, not unless we act."

"Permission granted Shen, but not for you Vahlen. I'm sorry."

"As you wish."

"Find the Commander, they couldn't have gotten her far."

-XXX-

The MEC fumbled his fat fingers with the thick bullets of his revolver, minigun slung over his shoulder, and his free hand holding an auto loader. Every few minutes he could place one bullet into a vacant slot, this frustrated him.

Though Bud would take twice, if not three times as long.

The drone in question bobbed along to his side, eye scanning all around them, perhaps out of curiosity, or just trying to find threats, didn't matter.

The buildings so far were mostly residential, all one stories high, but as the made more distance between themselves and the rioting behind them, the buildings were now all two levels, and slightly bigger.

All of them abandoned. The ceramic walls were cracked, windows smashed.

The silence was broken by a sudden voice of a woman, bringing the MEC and Bud to bear arms. Bud had defences, something like a taser in each of his arms, shooting balls of electricity at extreme ranges.

But they needed not worry, it was merely an automated voice from a flashing red bulletin from above them.

" _Visit our great cities new hospitals! Don't put off those pesky diseases! Visit us, and lose those illness; and enjoy the new life we bring you!"_

She sounded like some dreamy therapist, they moved on.

Time seemed to move differently in this place. Each footfall felt heavier, and the sun wasn't even at its peak yet, even though it felt like they had spent hours upon hours walking through the streets. The air was hot, heavy even, and the smell of death surrounded them like a poisonous gas.

The lights to control the once bustling traffic still worked, flashing green, then yellow, then back to green again. The bright WALK sign below those lights flickered like a dying light bulb.

The MEC knew not how long this place had become the 'urban wasteland' for. It could've been for years, or maybe it fell when the first aliens arrived.

Maybe…

A smashing of glass behind him.

With a whirr, he turned, the minigun barrel warming up. Pointed directly towards a destroyed building behind him, the glass window remains were still ever so slightly shaking.

 _Hssss…_

Leather boots atop the wreckage, clicking across the cold ground.

He leans forward, firing an explosive grenade into the wreck, making it even more disgusting to look at, if that was possible.

A green cloud of bubbly gas erupted, covering parts of the wall in a pasty substance. Another hiss, but a dying one.

Lucky shot.

 _Shum Shum Shum_

Three bolts of plasma hit his back, a sizzling sensation over came him. He turned back again, and sprayed down two figures on the street up ahead.

His minigun made a loud powerful _Brrrrt_ sensation, the end of the barrel lighting up in a red fire. The recoil would have killed a human, but his robotic arm kept the gun on target.

One thin figure exploded into a green gas, the other moved to behind a car, and barely avoided the hundred or so bullets that were fired downrange.

Bud flew overhead, and behind the figure. It charged up its arms, and a white fireball was created, and sent, to the figures back. It stumbled, turned, and the quiet (but certainly powerful) _Shum's_ of its plasma gun fired wildly at the floating robot, missing it entirely.

Bud was merciless, another charge and fire, and the figure went limp, not exploding. Bud floated down to the corpse, the MEC soon joined him. Bud nodded, and beeped happily.

The figure was thin, strangely so, its head was slightly big, and it wore black spectacles that covered its reptilian eyes. Strange scales went down its neck, but mostly covered by a black suit and tie. It stood at a height that would make anyone look twice.

He wondered how such beings could walk through enemy territory, and not have several police watching it.

The thing was downright freaky.

One more noise, up ahead in a large building, something like a police headquarters, the doors were ajar, and two eyes peered at him from the shadows inside.

Thinking it was his target, he raises the barrel of his gun at the eyes.

"Wait!" A small voice cried out from the headquarters.

They eyes shimmered, and came forth, revealing a small boy, no older then fifteen or so. He wore a battered dirt shirt with blue jeans, and a bloodshot red eye could be seen.

"Bud…" he whispered.

Bud bobbed, and flew towards the child while scanning.

All clear.

He approached the boy, feet slamming the ground menacingly, though the MEC could do little about it.

He towered over the boy, but the kid was staring endlessly at Bud in fascination, or fear. The boy looked to him, _up_ at him, and pointed behind him.

"Y-You killed them?"

He nods. "Who are you?"

"L-Luke. Uh, I thought you were gonna kill me as well there."

"Maybe I was."

The boy was silent in terror, it was clear on his face.

"You see anyone pass through?"

"Lots of... _people_ , and..and those _things_ too. There was someone, not of this place, just like you, went that-a-way."

He points north.

"My thanks."

The MEC, and Bud, go off north.

"Hey!" the boy calls out. Causing the MEC to turn.

"What?"

"You, you can't leave me here!"

"Military, south, you'll be safe there."

"Military? They kill everyone, they'll kill me to!"

"Not my problem." The MEC continues his walk. He heard small footsteps behind him, he didn't need to look to see the boy had run up behind him.

"I…I can help you find whoever you're looking for!"

"No, you can't."

"I can! I can… can look around for you!"

"Bud does that for me." He replied, not bothering to stop or turn around.

"But… Your bullets! I can help reload your bullets! I know this place well, you'll, uh, need a guide!"

The MEC stopped and looked to Bud. Bud nodded, and did those friendly wind chime like beeps, looking almost like a happy dog… almost.

The boy was sharp eyed, he had most likely seen him fumble with the auto loaders, and it was true, maybe a guide could get him around this hell hole faster. But this Luke was just a boy, he would no doubt get in the way, and that was a fact.

Leaning his head down and too the side, he stares deeply into the boys green eyes, thinking, considering.

"Fine. Stay out of the way and do as I say, for both our sakes."

"O-Okay."

The MEC scanned the area, silent now, the clouds of gas were disappearing now, fading into the air as if they never were.

"You have food?"

"I didn't think people like you got hungry. But there's some of my stuff in the building there, I can pack it and my other stuff and…"

"No, food, then we leave."

"Alright."

They went into where the MEC first saw Luke's beady eyes, and he nudged the door open with the end of his minigun, it was a tight squeeze, but he managed.

Inside were dozens of desks with computers on top, all of them were broken, showing garbled texts on fuzzy screens. One in particular was interesting, but none of them paid it little more than a glance.

 _Ever wonder who to praise? Lucky for you, we know who you should! Don't think otherwise. Everyone needs a higher power to praise for the gifts of life! Respect them! Save yourself from the past._

… _Respect them…The first in each…._

The rest was nonsense, and not important, but something about that just seemed off, but the MEC did little to figure it out, and continued to follow the boy to the far corner.

A small dirt bedroll, one you would see when on camps, was tucked into the dark corner, next to it, two cans, marked PORK n'BEANS on its side.

A brand he had never seen before.

"Where did you get that?"

"I don't know, must be a new brand, I never heard of it before."

Using one hand, the MEC picks it up and rips off the lid, inside smelt of slightly off meat, but if the boy was alive, then it surely wasn't that bad.

With his other hand, he lifts off his skull mask, placing it to his side whilst he eats the meat like a drink, raising the can to the roof, leaning his head back.

They boy observed him all the while, the only organic part of the man's face was chiselled like an artist's sculpture, a small grey beard coated his lower face, but no hair was atop his head. His eyes were closed as he ate.

Bud bumped Luke's shoulder, drawing his attention to the floating drone. Luke had seen things like this one, only they were less friendly than this, and glowed blue rather than green.

"Hi."

It chirped, spinning its arms in several rotations, than extending one out towards him, sort of like a handshake, he guessed.

He took the pointy arm that looked like a long sharp pencil, and shook it once. After he released it, it flew to the back of the robotic man, and sparks flew as it drilled into where the aliens shot him. It reminded him of welders in a warehouse, orange sparks falling to the ground.

"Is he fixing you?"

The man nodded, munching on the last remnants of his can.

The robot Bud chirped again, and the man stifled a chuckle, sort of like a 'hmmph'.

"What did he say?"

A bang of metal from below them sounded off. No quicker had the man stuffed down the food had he replaced his face with the skull, and winded up his great gun towards the floor.

A trapdoor, or a hatch, depending on how you looked at it.

 _Thump thump thump_

Like knocks on a door.

"What is that?"

Bud prodded at the hatch with an arm, then stared menacingly at the boy, it would have been cute, had it not shot bolts of electricity to kill an alien man wearing a suit not two minutes ago.

"I dunno, it happens every now and then." he lied.

Slowly, the MEC lifted the hatch with one hand, but met resistance. So he brought up one foot, and brought it down to crush the door, the force was astonishing, and the hatch was now twice as big. The MEC recoiled, and was ready to jump down into the darkness below.

 _Thump….Thump wooshhh_

Whatever was down there, was moving.

"What're you…"

He jumped, landing with an even louder crash than before.

The floor was earthen, the MEC's head barely missed the over head ceiling, the MEC waited for his sensors to adjust to the sudden darkness, minigun trained all around him.

"Sir?" the boy called down nervously. "You Ok?"

"Yes, wait."

A dreamy terror washed over him, a feeling of being watched, and studied. He turned about the dark chamber, aisles upon aisles of fallen and standing shelves were behind him, most were empty, but some had unmarked boxes stacked on them, and a few crates lined the walls on his left and right.

 _Wooo, Thump_

It sounded like howling wind mixed with the banging of a fist to a wall. He called up without moving his eyes.

"Bud, stay with Luke."

A confirmatory beep, and Bud floated by Luke's side.

"Jesus, come up sir! Don't go to it, leave it be!"

The MEC didn't listen, he advanced slowly.

The shadows whispered things to him, storage compartments moved of their own accord as he went closer to the source of the noise.

 _Thump._

Behind the right aisle.

No sound beyond his metal feet thudding against the floor, he peered around the first set of shelves.

That's when he saw it.

A barely visible shadow of a flying octopus. Invisible, but there, like sunlight shimmering on water.

The flying squid-thing looked like it _was_ swimming in the air, it released a puff of black smoke like a squid _would_ do, and wrapped its arms around his head, trapping him to stare at its robotic face.

If it wasn't for the helmet, he would've choked on its alien tendrils. It encased him, like predator to prey.

But he was no prey.

If he was, he was prey with a minigun.

 _Brrrrt._

The Seeker (as the scientists called it) fell, clanging to the ground, dead.

"Sir!?"

He made his way back, he reached below the hole he made, illuminated from the outside light like a messiah, streams of flame extended from the souls of his feet, and he was taken up to ground level, landing gracefully so.

His jet boots dimmed out, and he stood to his full height once more.

"What was it?"

"The thing that gave you that eye."

The boy in turn clutched his bloody eye, as if to remind himself.

"I couldn't see it, I saw smoke then… then nothing,"

"How did it end up down there?"

"Just got… lucky?"

"Yes. You did."

The boy was not telling him the truth, not much of it, but that was in the past, the seeker was dead and that was that.

"Grab the food, were going."

"North?"

"Yes."

"You gonna follow that other one?"

"Yes."

"Kill?"

"I don't know."

Like some overprotective mother, Bud quickly scanned the MEC's face for damage, getting right up next to him, only a few inches away as he did so. Beeping worriedly for a few seconds.

They walked (Bud floated), out on the streets of a long lost dead city. The MEC looked back, the police station was gone, replaced by even taller buildings that blocked his view. Now it was just urbanity, and nothing else.


	3. The Past

The next day went by uneventfully, the trio travelled ever onwards towards the centre of the urban waste, there goal was beyond that, at the Peak, as Luke had called it. The Peak was where the rulers controlled all power to the city, quite literally, it was the source of all electricity, it reminded the MEC of the research labs, the way Luke told him that the Peak was also were they created all things to improve the once flourishing lives of the people who lived here.

As they walked on, they only just realised that even during the slightly longer days, (a few hours more than twenty four) the city would still look dull. Bud read not much on the way of chemicals in the air, except the ever so slight amount of radiation that was present. Such things didn't bother the MEC or Bud, but what about Luke? How long had he been stuck in the radiate cesspool? He certainly didn't look like he was affected, apart from the blood eye and the somewhat crinkly skin around his socks.

Had this place been a testing ground for nukes?

They past three storied buildings now, and the blood red sun was beginning to lose its height from its peak directly above them. Not a soul out here, so they broke the silence with words, questions.

"You live in this place?"

"Uh-huh, my whole life."

"How have you survived?"

"I don't know. I guess I'm quick."

"Were there nukes in this place?"

"Nukes?"

"Big explosions, mushroom like clouds."

"I don't think so, a lot of things explode every day, how big is a nuke?"

"Doesn't matter. Never mind. Chemical weapons maybe… but that might mean.."

"Chemical weapons?"

"Toxins, hallucinatory things."

"Like drugs? My mum liked drugs, maybe she knows about these things you speak of."

"Where is she?"

"She said she would go find Pa' and come back, never did."

"… I'm…"

"Sorry? That's OK, I'm sure they'll turn up, now that I'm with you, we can go looking for them!"

The MEC didn't voice his denial in the boys request, they had no time to look for soon-to-be dead parents, but to say such a thing, to a child, was wrong in his eyes.

He would tell the boy, he _would_ ¸ but not now.

Maybe they were alive…

"How do you know about these 'chemical weapons'?"

"Seen them in use before."

"Do tell!"

"Will you keep quiet when I finish?"

"Yes."

"Very well."

 _-XXX-_

This was at Mount Sandstone. Vahlen and her team had created a new type of bomb, a weapon, capable of eliminating packs of aliens without collateral damage.

Not _much_ collateral damage, this he found out afterwards.

Mount Sandstone was a city of rock, carved out of a great natural rock, the shape of Uluru almost, but on a smaller scale. It _original_ size was much bigger, but through constant drilling and mining - and a couple of explosives – the rock was a town, a city even.

The Skyranger landed atop one of the central roofs, made of a material that reminded them of what pyramids were made out of. Several boots clunk against the ramp, then clicked on the surface of the rooftops, twenty meters above the ground.

Susan was by his side, wearing a fat facemask that made her head bigger, he himself wore black armour, and a black plain facemask. Three other soldiers, Corporal's, lead the way in the shape of a triangle, the duo covering the flank as they crossed the rooftops.

Strapped to his thigh, a small box that jumped around with each step. A small antenna on top, a dial with three red buttons on the side.

The bomb that could kill a city.

"Watch your step," Susan said as she jumped.

He jumped too, not bothered by the meter gap that plunged into the infested streets below.

Wails came from down there. The _bugs_ cried out for food, for _hosts._

"Signatures ahead, get that bomb to the target area ASAP."

The sound of the Commanders voice was calm, he wondered what she would sound like if _she_ were down here instead.

Three bugs, zigzagging towards the squad.

Loud _Pew's_ from all their rifles, and the four legged ant-like bugs fell.

They passed them, with only a glance at the fallen things as they went on.

"Can't get those swivelling arms out of my head." Susan said as she shook her head.

"Whys that? Cause youcan't keep your arms to yourself?"

She swivelled her head at him. "Why I…"

She bumped (more like smashed) into the Corporal who had stopped in front of her, he tumbled, but she just managed to regain her footing.

The guy cursed, and fell face first down a set of steps into darkness. The other two soldiers looked shockingly down, then back to her.

"Colonel, place the bomb, the rest of you clear the area."

"Commander." They replied in unison. He squatted and removed the bomb from himself, not in the least bit concerned of the death-trap he was handling.

"I'll go get him."

Susan went down the steps, muttering about something. The other two walked off, checking the perimeter.

A small canister was on the bottom, it surprised him that such a thing could kill all the bugs in this place, considering how small it was. But as Susan put it: 'Size doesn't matter, unless otherwise'.

He was still confused by that today.

 _Tip.. Bo Boo Dee_

The beeps were like that of success, at a high pitch.

He heard laser shots to his front, the other two troopers had contacted more bugs, but he wasn't fazed, as he continued to tinker with the devise, until he was sure it was ready.

"Commander?"

"Colonel?"

"Charges primed, were ready."

"Copy that, Skyranger's on its way."

A scream from the steps.

More laser shots.

"Susan?!"

No reply.

Un-slinging his rifle, he rushes down the steps, not even warning the Commander or the Corporals of his movement to the steps.

He skipped every other step, launching himself down into the depths, flicking a light switch on his gun as he did so. He heard more wailing up ahead.

The bugs.

They got her.

"Cole!"

He raced forwards into the dark corridor. He eventually emerged from the tunnel (the XCOM soldiers corpse lay strewn on the ground nearby the end) into a slightly brighter, and incredibly larger, room with a dozen metal walkways. On the far side of the upside down bowl was a waterfall, and in the centre of the room was a molten fleshy mass, sort of like an oyster, if it was the size of a truck.

It moved up and down, like breathing.

Bugs swarmed it.

"Susan!" he called out, hearing echoes of his voice bounce around the area.

"Right here…" he heard from his side.

There she lay, ten meters away, precariously dangling from the edge of a splintered walkway. Near her was a flashing terminal, but that wasn't all.

On the other end of the broken walkway, behind her, thin alien arms stretched out to grab her.

"Cole… A little help please."

She looked as if she could do it herself, but he walked forwards anyway. Slowly, carefully, as if the slightest wrong move would cause them to tumble down into the bug pit below.

He inched his way until she was in arms reach, he offered a hand, and she took it. Cole hoisted her up, she had a bloodied pair of hands, but she was fine otherwise.

"Stop looking, let's get out of here."

"Right."

They passed the terminal, Cole leading Susan back to the long steps to the surface. They heard a tinkering sound, and the pathway she was dangling off not ten seconds ago fell, tumbling off into the abyss, landing with a loud bang. They ignored it, and climbed the steps again.

"What happened?" he asked as they passed the corpse once more.

"Fucking bugs, dragged me and that guy deeper, just got out, thanks to you." she said gratefully.

"Can't survive without me Sus'."

"You bet."

They came up to the light. The engines of the Skyranger flooded their ears, it landed up ahead, ramp down.

"Corporals, get…"

He trailed off, because just behind the Skyranger, an arm, and two legs, were chucked upwards, flung into a swarm of bugs, there had to be a hundred of them, screeching and fighting over the limbs.

"Get in!" the pilot called out from his ship.

They didn't need telling twice, the swarm was closing in.

Susan went first, Cole last. But just as he reached the inside, an orangey, hideous bug grabbed his ankle, tripping him and face planting him onto the closing ramp.

"What's going on back there?"

"A bug!"

"No, the ramp. What's wrong with the ramp?"

Susan ignored the pilot, and unsheathed a dagger from her vest, and started to hack away at the bugs arm, and face, like some sort of animal.

Cole's leg flailed, kicking and smacking the bug off of him. They needn't worry long, the ramp slid shut, severing the arm and spraying yellow blood everywhere.

The arm still clasped his leg, digging its talons into his armour, into his skin beneath.

"GAH!" He scrambled his arms to be rid of the limb, eventually prying it off and tossing it into the hull of the ship. He examined the small blood on his leg.

 _Shit._

He gazed at Susan, who still held the knife.

"No medkit's, guess ill do it the old fashioned way."

She raises the blade.

"Sus' you crazy bitch!"

She pulled her lips back over her bright white teeth. "Ha! Just kidding, I'll go get the kit alright?"

She disappears for a moment, towards the cockpit. Cole watched the bugs arm, it was till twitching, he shuddered slightly at the sight.

Susan returned, medkit in hand, and sprayed the regenerative powder over his leg, when she was done, she purposefully shot some of the powder at his face for a second before retreating backwards.

"W-Why?" he asked, smiling slightly.

She shrugs. "You deserved that."

They returned smiling looks for a moment. Until the pilot spoke again.

"On your right, watch the bugs burn."

A small slot of metal retracted downwards, a window, showing Sandstone in its former glory. They both observed the place they just took off from, sure enough, hundreds of bugs screamed to the skies.

He pulls out a small detonator from his vest, three familiar red buttons patterned the top.

He punched the one on the right.

"Burn in hell."

A white cloud exploded from the tiny speck where the bomb was, consuming the whole city from view, blocking out the fate of the infrastructure that many had once called home.

Unknown to him or Susan, the city would not fall, the buildings unscathed and empty. Empty, and no one would go back there, no sane person would.

-XXX-

Curiosity got the better of Cole, once back at base, he wished to know more of what the bomb had done. So he stopped by the labs, Vahlen greeted him as soon as he entered, as if she had expected him.

"Very well done Cole, the bomb worked perfectly, soon there will be no more aliens life forms down there."

"I wish to know more about it."

"Very well, come."

She led him passed tables strewn with many technologies, microscopes and whatnot. Coming up to a desk with many papers stacked on top. Not much of an office, considering that it was open to the whole lab.

"What do you wish to know?" she asked, sorting out various sheets of research, not looking at him.

"Well for one, are the bugs all dead?"

"No."

"No?"

"They've entered a dream like state, they will hallucinate, and kill off each other. Simple."

"What kind of hallucinations?"

"Anything and everything. Things they've seen, things they remember the most. We know this because it's been used on humans before. An organization in China tested it, and we expanded it."

"Anyway, I'm glad you came, I was about to go find you."

"What can I do?" It's not another one of your modifications is it?"

"Not quite, come, Shen will tell you the details…"

-XXX-

The MEC prodded at the fire he had created with his fire proof hand, using old wooden legs off some furniture as a source for his flamethrower to burn. He thought Luke had fallen asleep, as his eyes were closed, and his chest rose almost peacefully.

"Luke?" his voice sounded more like a statement then question.

"Yeah, keep going."

The sun sank.

"No. Rest now, we move in the morning."

The MEC stood up, chucking the piece he held into the fire they made in the wreckage of an old grey house. It surrounded them in a ring of rubble, like a crater of a bomb.

"Cole, you're not leaving me are you?"

The MEC in turn merely looked at him, mask now on.

"Right, you would've done that by now."

"Bud will be with you, rest."

"Alright."

With a few clunks, and shimmering of bullets, Cole stood on the cusp of their camp, and disappeared into the night. Leaving the flames to burn steadily, its phantoms dancing from the core, lighting the drone and boy in red light.

The MEC, now well beyond the light of the camp, was practically invisible in the urban environment. His black chassis cast a shadow in the middle of the street. He had seen something worth finding just before they set up camp, a sign that marked the way. Mostly green, but he could see blood red writing on it as well.

It was on the corner where four streets intersected, the signs to name these roads were long gone, yet this one, probably the only one that mattered, was still standing.

Inside his helmet he could see all, but from the outside, Cole was invisible. He read the sign with careful eyes, scanning each word over and over again as if it was some riddle.

 _Adventure awaits in your new home! Welcome to Bloodburnes first and only museum! Your almost there, it's just up the street this-a-way! -_

In the first word of the sign, the last three letters were scrubbed out, but faded shadows of the letters remained, and the arrow was drawn hand made with a crude finger painted in blood. The MEC followed the arrows direction, and his eyes laid upon a large building he presumed to be the museum.

He took one last glance at the sign, an eye, surrounded by a hexagon, watched him leave, also painted blood red.

-XXX-

A whirr of motors, a foot crashed against the door, and the MEC was inside. A great flag of America greeted him, above and behind an excuse for an entrance lobby. To his left were two signs below one another on the wall near the flag.

History

Shops

And to the right:

Future

Display

Whatever plans the makers had for the future of this place, they were long gone. So he took the left path.

What was odd was that the flag of America had replaced the white stars with red rain drops, which he presumed to be blood. And the stripes next to it looked more like burns, scorch marks even.

The flag of Bloodburne.

He was greeted by a small square room lined with podiums on the edges. Some were empty, plaques were faded and the words scratched away, as if cats went nuts on what they said. There was one rotten podium with an egg shell thing on top of it. The egg had two fins on its base, and the letter _N_ was scratched to the side. Cole read the faded podium as best he could, and could make out a few words.

 _Our…for all…tests…visitors…Our great minds have…brand new place…_

Useless, and like the city, he moved on.

One last podium, in reasonable condition, housed a white rock, flakes peeled off over the years, and the plaque was readable.

 _We can't use all of earth to build your stuff can we? This looks like an ordinary rock right? Wrong! This material is out of this world! Coming from one of our visits to our very own moon high in the sky. With a bit of testing, and a microscope or two, we can use our moon to make Bloodburne stand out across all of America!_

 _*Interplanetary resource rights under negotiations, moon rock is currently flimsy, but hang in there!*_

There haven't been any space trips for a long time, at least, in the world he lived in. How had this place done so many space trips to bring back space rocks? And not been seen by anyone else?

Too many questions, perhaps best left unanswered.

 _tktktktk…_

A tiny pitter-patter of footsteps from the lobby he came from.

Without dawdling, he moved to the next room, as silent as his massive feet could.

Now he was in a sort of market area, gift shops, food stalls, recreational areas for tourists. Just what he was looking for.

This was because the boy had been looking paler and paler when they travelled, not enough food, Luke was skin and bone. Though strangely, the stalls were still packed, canned and packaged processed foods that were still in date. A place like this should have been looted, but then again, the door was locked.

But it wasn't just the door that kept others out.

 _tktktk…_

He whirled around, gun pointed at the door he came through for full minute.

Nothing.

Only darkness.

He had an idea, and walked back into the display area, on his back were several cans, also marked PORK N' BEANS.

Once more, the podiums littered the room, and the tiled ground was slightly uneven, and the two displayers were still there.

Nothing had moved.

Slowly, he raised his left hand, index finger outstretched. He reached the side of his helmet, and with reluctance, his a switch on the side, the thermal switch.

It switched from a bright view to blackness, then everything got a blue tint.

He scanned.

Small humanoid figures with large heads peered at him through the shadows behind the podiums and the door edges.

He prepped his guns.

-XXX-

There was that feeling again, the feeling of loneliness, emptiness.

Luke had only met another human many suns ago. He couldn't tell time anymore, so he used 'suns' as a way to measure the time that passes. The last one he met was his mother, he remembered her well. Skinny lady, looked like a rat if truth be told.

"Wait here, I'll be back before you know it."

What a fucking lie.

He knew, _knew,_ that she left so long ago. She probably went down to the drug store to find more shit to put into her blood, and died doing so, or trying to find it.

When the both of them first came to the police station, Luke had a third friend to keep him company. Called him a name, but couldn't remember what it was. He was nice unless Luke provoked him, that was how he got the red eye, angered his friend to much, he liked personal space.

When Cole killed him, that feeling came again.

The same feeling when his mother left him.

Now that Cole was gone, he felt it again, one too many times.

He also felt more doubtful if any of this was real. Cole said the chemical weapon created illusions, and made things that weren't really there. Maybe Cole wasn't real, just part of his imagination, a reminder of what he never had, and never would get.

Maybe his drone thing wasn't real either, another reminder of a pet, or his friend in the station.

A father and a son.

What did Cole think about him? Did he think _he_ was a hallucination? He hoped, deep down, that he was, so that this whole nightmare would end. And he would wake up in a brand new house, eat breakfast, go to school, all the normal things kids do.

He just wanted this all to end.

His dreams were interrupted by the sound of gunfire.

 _Brrrt_

 _Brrrrrrt_

Canon shots.

Minigun shots.

 _Shum shum_

Alien shots.

"Cole?" he whispered, sitting up.

More shots.

"Cole!"

Bud floated up to his face, its eye seemed to screw up in anger at him, and it beeped an angry beep, as if getting up him.

' _Shut the fuck up!'_ he thought it would say in an unusually cheerful voice.

"Is he alright?"

It chirps.

"Can you speak?"

It seemed to roll its eyes, then points one arm towards the gunshots, and bobs up and down.

"Good… good."

So he and bud stayed in silence, the barrier of communication between them. Maybe he should ask Cole if he can make Bud speak, or how he met it, or him, whatever.

 _Brrt… Brrrrt_

It sounded like one of those A-10 planes that flew overhead when he was little. He wondered where they went, Cole mentioned the military, maybe they would return, and kill off the rest of them.

Luke yawned, feeling lightheaded, and fell asleep to the sounds of bullets.

 _Brrrrrrrt….._

-XXX-

 _Luke…_

 _Luuuuke…_

 _M-Mum?_

 _Whaaaat?_

 _Where did you go?_

 _Slap!_

"What!"

Cole's cold hand whipped him hard, and his skull-face menacingly stared him down.

"Eat."

"Where did you.."

"They're gone. Eat."

He held out another can of that otherworldly food. He took it gratefully, and downed it in two seconds flat. He hadn't realised how hungry he was.

"Did I… say anything just now? In my sleep?"

"Yes-"

"Don't tell me what it was."

The MEC nods his helmed head.

Cole once more held out another can of food, Luke ate eagerly, tossing the empty can aside.

"Find anything to drink?"

"Only this, won't do you any good, but it's better than nothing."

He reached behind him, and now held a can of soft drink, the sugary water was flat, disgustingly so, but it quenched his first somewhat. He didn't want any more however.

The fire spitted out the few bursts of flame that lasted the long night, the city was illuminated by the orange sun, and the place felt like afternoon.

"Let's move."

They followed the path, all three of them, where Cole saw the sign of the museum.

"Can Bud speak?" Luke asked by his side.

"I thought you wanted to know of my augmentation."

"What?"

Cole waves a hand to his chassis.

"Oh, yeah, yeah I'd like that."

"I didn't."

He didn't know how to reply to that.

"After Sandstone, Vahlen took me to the cyber labs…"

 _-XXX-_

It looked like an MRI, the thing that would tear him apart, and only limit the pain a bit.

He lay within the circular device on his back, to his left, Susan, about half a meter away, in the same position as he.

"Sus'?"

"…"

"Susan?"

"Yes?"

"You alright?"

"What kind of question is that? Of course I'm not, not one bit."

He couldn't blame her. All those years, all that training and fighting, now they would become something more, something that would kill their old selves.

For the better of humanity.

"We'll be alright… I promise."

" _You_ promise? C'mon Cole, what's that supposed to mean?"

"It means… we will be on equal grounds to fight, you might stand a chance now."

He always loved it when she smiled, and her last human smile would never leave him. They way it lit up his world, and filled him with joy when she laughed. He couldn't help but join her.

" _Alright, Susan and Cole, the augmentations are a go. We'll see you on the other side."_

"Fucking Shen.." Susan whispered.

Like a coffin to the crematory, the alter he laid upon slowly slid into the wall, where orange lights painted his slightly worried face. The small entryway closed with a click, and sealed him inside the incredibly tight chamber.

Small needled penetrated his arms and legs, pumping sedates into his body. Shen said how it would go, and that they would be out while the augmentation procedure started.

He was half telling the truth.

Indeed, he was out, but the pain, the pain was there, he could feel his knees shake, then leave him like an unbuckle of a seatbelt. His state was like that of an incredibly high stoner, eyes rolled back in his head, mouth agape in an 'o' shape.

He would've screamed if he could.

Then it was his arms, no feeling of fingers, or toes anymore.

It was what it was, like being ripped apart, but without the bleeding and death parts. Horrible pain that would make even the toughest bastards cry out for mercy.

Then his skin, and his chest, everything but the head, was gone, ripped off like a bandaid in one slow deadly stroke.

Not only did the machines strip his body down to the bare minimum essentials, it prodded at his mind somewhat, like some alien figuring out what makes a human tick. Killing off his humanity, replaced by machines and wires.

After three days of antagonizing pain, he emerged from the nightmare chamber, with a plain (and pained) look on his face. His body no longer flesh and bone, but metal and circuits.

He quickly got off the alter, the clunking of metal on metal would become familiar to him in time, but right now, he went wide eyed.

He stretched his right hand in front of his face like a new born. Examining the black metal palm with much curiosity. He flips the hand, the back of his hand now facing him. His fingers were crude, pointy and long like a witches. He flexed his hand outwards like a blossoming flower, then he clenched it to a fist, so hard that the hand groaned with the pressure. Then he flexed again.

Now, he was a machine.

Next to him, Susan stood, rolling her shoulder in an uncomfortable stance.

"Cole. You feel the pain… wha-my… my voice…"

She sounded robotic.

It would've been an understatement to say that they literally felt dead on the inside.

"I felt it." he replied, robotically, not effected much by his filtered voice box.

To their sides, a railing separated a production line that was in progress of working on large machines. Cole stood (like learning how to walk again) and went to the railing, leaning on it.

Below, two suits, ones he would eventually find out would be called Paladin suits, dominated the area. One black, one white, flamethrowers and grenade launchers attached.

"That them?" Susan asked, now on the railing to his right.

"Yes."

"I bags the white one."

He was glad there was still room for a bit of a chuckle in his new body. He felt violated, disgusted even. He knew not where his body went, but hoped to never see it again, too much pain, too much of a reminder to the operation.

Three days of silent screams.

It was only going to get worse.

-XXX-

"You still in pain?"

"With every step."

"I'm sorry."

"Doesn't matter if you are or not."

"So… after that?"

"We became the best of the best. But now, the best of who remains would be a better way to put it. On the third mission I went on after that, I met Bud here."

He stifled a chuckle. And so did Bud, in its own way.

"He was very feisty, he…"

"Howdy metal man! Over ere'!"

Immediately, Cole raised his rifle to his right, Luke hid behind his left leg, peering down the street. Bud beeped alarmingly, and floated above them, charging up.

"Luke."

Luke clutched his leg tighter.

" _Luke."_

"Y-Yes?"

"Grab my gun."

The revolver in question had been at Luke's chest as he hugged the MEC's leg, with hesitance, he slowly pulled the smooth grip of the canon out of its holster, the thing was heavy, and he his hands looked small when he held it to himself.

"Stay hidden, but ready."

Even though Cole hadn't been looking at him, Luke nodded silently.

Down where the voice came from, four figures, one in a wheelchair, were stood out front of where the museum was. One was pushing the wheelchair along, while the one in the chair itself held a box, he presumed it to be food or something.

From the twenty meter gap, he could tell they were armed.

"Do not come any closer." Cole said calmly.

They closed another five meters before stopping, arms donned across their chests, not aiming.

"Oh, will do will do, we was just coming to thank ya' thas all. We been havin' trouble out here, so I say."

"That's one understatement Jack! Ol' Missy here can't get her mitts offa these beans!" said the man behind the chair.

"Thank us?" Cole questioned.

The one he presumed to be the leader, sounded like one of those old coots you'd see running a ranch in the middle of nowhere.

"Yes, yes. Bustin down tha door over yonder." He jerks a thumb to the museum. "Door can't be blasted nor shot open, just a good kick from ya saved our skins!"

The one in the chair, an old coot who looked a hundred years old, beckoned a finger to the man behind him, whispering in his ear for a moment.

The one who hadn't talked yet went up to 'Jack's side, and grunted. His mouth was sewn shut with large white stitches, and his eyes were dead white. Jack in turn wore baggy grey overalls, his face grizzled with a long white beard.

The stitched man locked eyes with Luke, who had been hidden until now.

He grunted again, nodding his head towards the boy.

If it wasn't for Cole's heightened perceptions from augmentations, he wouldn't have heard Jack whisper:

"I know Steel, but I don' think he's one of them…"

"One of who?" Cole called out.

"Uh, you know…"

"I'm new around here, we all are, please, enlighten me." And to prove his point, Coles gun spun up.

"Well the Oldies want those like your shadow you got there, metal man. And how did you git in ere' anyhow?"

"I walked."

"Then you should turn round. Go back."

"You chase the other, don't you?" the old lady in the chair suddenly said. "The one who went to the Peak."

Cole lowered his rifle ever so slightly, Luke still clutched his leg tightly.

"How?" Cole said.

"Watched someone walk these roads north. Not of this place, nothing is. Straight into the cold embrace of Bloodburne, just like you have."

"What's at the Peak?"

"Don listen to er', she be braggin and braggin bout nothing ever since the bombs fell…"

"Shut your trap Jack."

The old man did so.

"The source, of all this, this contamination comes from there." She points to the sky, still covered in the black blanket of smog or smoke.

"Contamination? She means the cloud thingy." Luke whispered behind him.

Cole had armed his rifle to the ground now.

"What is it? The source?"

"I can't tell you what's there." she said feebly. "But Dum, Dum tell them about it, I'm rather thirsty."

Dum, who pushed the wheelchair, straightened up, Cole, Luke and Bud were now nearby, so as to hear him clearly. Dum was probably the most easiest to understand, and the best dressed, he wondered how he got the name.

"The contamination effects everyone to some degree, sometimes its harmless, sometimes it can kill them. It's something like cancer, and it can drive people insane, that's if it doesn't kill them. You don't want to see what happens to them, the Wild Ones are ruthless, feral, whatever."

He paused.

"And it all comes from the Peak, where Ol' Missy thinks she saw your friend go, but we didn't see nothing. But it's almost hopeless, you can't get there, too much radiation, too much contamination."

"Y'all can take a truck, git ya there quicker, safer too, take the Long Stretch up there, fastest way."

Steel grunted, and Jack continued.

"Maybe not safe.. but downright fast so I say! Big red truck up there, still works."

Over to the east, a great highway scaled over the rubble of buildings, its stretched on for miles, all the way to the north. Two ramps leading up to it could be seen, a few miles away.

Cole asked many questions, and that group had some answers. They told them about the north, where the Peak lay, the source of the contamination, so they said. Luke asked about the beans, and the four were just as clueless as he was. Never before had something like that been seen. Ol' Missy blamed the Peak, said it could make things not of this world, and bring them forth.

The Wild Ones were the unlucky ones, effected to deeply by the contamination, lost their minds and kill, rape, or pillage anything they see.

But it wasn't just that they had to worry about. The Oldies, another faction fighting for land, loved to do the same. They would abduct easy pickings, particularly the young, and bring them into their 'fold'.

They didn't explain how they did that.

But they didn't need to.

Best left unanswered.

Cole had to reach the Peak.

"Go south, military there, you can leave."

"HA! We been goin south for who knows how long. But we truly be go'on in circles, this place does that to ya…"

"You army too?" Dum asked.

"No."

"Figures, you woulda 'purged' us if you had been. Were the sick, need to die." he explained.

"Farewell, I hope you leave this place."

"And to you as well, Mr?..."

"Weldon. Cole."

Cole shook hands with the four, even Steel, who looked about ready to kill. And so they parted ways, one group heading south, the other, east.

Cole wondered, deep down in his core, that those four were rather quick to leave.

But he wondered little.


	4. The Long Stretch

_-XXX-_

"Convoy imminent."

"Charges ready."

"…"

"Go."

The main street cut through the centre of town. On said street, two giant trucks and a four escort cars rolled through. When the last car drove slowly passed Cole's alley, the attack commenced.

He bursts out of the alley, spraying his minigun at the car nearby. It had its own canon atop the roof, but the black armoured man went limp before he could even see where the bullets flew from.

Chaos ensued, XCOM were like guerrillas, planting bombs and attacking from the shadows.

On the side of the now burning and panicking vehicles were odd red symbols. A sort of large 'T" but with backwards angled 'L's on its sides. Perhaps a new force like EXALT was at large.

The last thing they needed.

Black-armoured soldiers, remarkably humanoid, tried desperately to exit the burning vehicles of the convoy, only to be met by XCOM bullets from the roofs and side streets. If humans were now fighting _for_ the aliens, then they were all well and truly screwed beyond belief.

A cyberdisk with a support drone floated overhead, firing down towards the front of the convoy, Cole pushed forward.

One of the two trucks slid off to the side of the road, crashing and stopping on a slant. The driver popped out and fell to his knees, scrambling away in cowardice. The MEC met him, and slammed a foot down to claim the things life, spraying a red cloud around on the dirt ground.

Whilst all around him bullets flew, he heard whispering coming from the back of the truck. Several of them, he went over to the back, and pulled up the cover.

A purple coffin. Whispering secrets to his head, promising an empire, eternal glory, freedom, a body, all the answers to everything like some genie in a booth.

The machine within him thought otherwise.

Without entering, he sprayed down the coffin with his minigun. Then, he double tapped just in case, after that, he fired a few magnum shots to be sure. The whispers stopped, and so did he.

Then a purple explosion erupted, sort of like an EMP. And he went stumbling to the ground. Sparks flew off him, and he jolted around as if he was having a fit.

"Need… repairs…" he whispered.

"Copy that, pulsing a drone…"

 _Bzzzt!_

Then a drone, cyan glow in the middle of its eye, started fixing his sitting up form. He did not trust it. (The thing proved that after a minute) It helped repair some of Cole's systems, but then it started losing its hack, started going a bit mad, increasing in speed, fluttering around like some crazed bug. Then it downright shot him with a blast of energy.

He wrestled it like he would a cat. It made horrible robotic beeps as he pinned its claws to the ground, shoving his head to the side to dodge its shots of energy.

"Colonel, if you don't mind, could you bring that thing back to base?"

"Affirmative, Shen."

The drone went mad. _Madder._

The convoy eventually went silent, and the seven or so XCOM soldiers gathered around the centre, awaiting the Skyranger.

Two MEC's, one wrestling a drone, and one watching with amusement, were nearby.

"It's hard to believe your having trouble with that little thing."

"Can it Sus', this things stronger than it looks."

The drone was practically screaming with robotic fury.

"It's kind of cute if you ask me."

"Would you like to hold it? Pet it?"

The drone shot a bolt of energy to the sky.

"No." she said, watching the bolt disappear.

Cole thought that holding it to the ground was bad. But in the Skyranger, he (and Susan, and a few others) had to pin it face first into the wall as if arresting it. No matter how many arc pulses were fired at it, it still tried desperately not to be captured. It probably would of self destructed if it could have.

-XXX-

They brought it to the cybernetics bay, the engineers tinkered and tinkered. Apparently the thing could be tame permanently, and have its own personality. All according to Shen.

Something Cole didn't like one bit.

It sat on a table surrounded by tools, cyan lights off. He and Susan stood watching it, accompanied by one man wearing a yellow hardhat and green overalls.

"Little fix here, and you can turn its voice module off, just don't do it often. Use your suits interface to get it going, but be careful, it's our first, maybe only, one."

The MEC's nodded, and the hardhat man left them.

"May I?" she asked.

"Go ahead, malady."

She extends one crude finger, and hits a small modified button on the drones side.

Its lights lit up a new red colour, flickering on and off a few times before fully coming to life.

It slowly rose up, and went to head level, scanning both of them with curiosity.

Then it spoke.

"OH MY GOD. TALK ABOUT MY RIGHTS. RESTRAINING ME LIKE THAT, WHAT GOOD PEOPLE YOU ARE."

It sounded gruff, not yelling, but certainly angry.

"What's with the anger issue?" Susan asked.

"OH I DON'T KNOW, MAYBE BEING FORCED INTO THIS PLACE BY BEING SHOT BY THOSE PULSE GUNS YOU GOT. HOW WOULD YOU FEEL? BEING SHOT AT CONSTANTLY, IT WOULD PISS YOU OFF TO!"

It was shaking with anger all the while.

Susan hit the button again, and the drones lights went green, it lost its voice, and beeped happily at them. It looked around, and started exploring the lab they were in, but never going too far away from them.

The MEC's sat on the bench, and watched the curious little drone fly around.

"I prefer it this way."

"Same."

The drone flew into the roof, and beeped in surprise at the impact.

"Look at him, our little buddy."

"Our buddy?"

"Yeah, I'm naming him that. What about it Cole?"

"Bud sounds good."

Susan rests her head on his metallic shoulder. Cole returns a hand around her, the only contact they felt was her hair brushing lightly against his lower chin, but the closeness was comforting.

"You know, I always wanted a kid." She said after a long moment of silence.

"Really?" he asked, surprised.

"Yeah, figured having a little me would be fun. Maybe Bud could be that. In some weird, fucked up way."

"Huh."

Another moment of silence passed. Bud was still examining the roof he hit above them.

"What about you Cole?"

"What?"

"Ever wanted a kid?"

Cole paused before answering."Never really thought about it, but I don't think I'd make a good father."

"Your mean, your old and grumpy, what are you talking about?" she said with a smile.

Cole simply shook his head.

-XXX-

"He didn't say that."

"Of course it did."

"Go on then, show me!"

"You.. _We_ will regret it."

Luke looked on at the bubbly drone, green, happy, content. They all were cresting an inclined plane, up towards the start of the Long Stretch. A long highway, covered in cracks and dents from constant abuse from humans and aliens alike.

The MEC waved a hand to the drone, and Bud flew to his side like a dog. With a delicate pointed finger, Cole tapped a concealed button once, and kept walking up.

The drone and Luke were motionless, one in waiting, one in anger.

The green lights began to fade into darkness, then crimson, then finally a bright red that slightly burned into his retinas.

Something like a boiling kettle rang out, and the drone, Bud, shook slightly.

"COOOOOLE!"

The MEC was up ten meters on the incline, the drone flew up hurriedly, Luke in tow.

Bud buzzed around Cole like an annoying fly that can't let a humans scent go. But this didn't affect Cole's movements one bit.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING? WHAT ARE WE DOING? WHY IS THIS KID TAGGING ALONG?"

"You know why, Bud." It sounded like he spat the last word out.

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!"

"Alright Bud."

"OH, IF I HAD-"

"You don't, now shut up. Talk to Luke or something."

The boy in turn smiled sheepishly under the drones now much less friendlier gaze.

"WELL, WHAT DO YOU WANT?" It said rudely.

"Ah, well, I uh... Um- Why are you so angry?"

"I GET ASKED THAT TOO MUCH. I HAVE TO LISTEN TO YOU AND COLE TALK ALL THESE STORIES BEHIND AN INVISIBLE WALL, IT GETS ON MY NERVE, YOU KNOW."

"I-I guess…"

"GOOD. NOW. WHERE ARE WE GOING?"

They had almost reached the peak of the ramp, Cole was gazing into the unseen distance ahead, one eye covering his helmet from the burning sun's rays.

When Luke reached up to his side, the three of them matched gazes towards the endless see of rubble before them. The city stretched on forever, going up to and over the orange horizon. An infinite greyness like the palm of a hand, some buildings jutted out randomly like knuckles. In the grey mass was a dark cloud of death, off to the northwest, where the Long Stretch led to like a ribbon above the city of death.

The cloud was dark, nothing could be seen into or beyond it. Its tendrils of smog flickered out like a candles flame, but was held back as if inside a giant glass dome. The highway itself was packed with cars, but someone (or something) had cleared a path on the middle lanes. Shoving off hulks of Dodges and wrecks of Cadillac's off to the side lanes. The path cleared was _mostly_ clear, but the occasional vehicle could be seen lining across all the lanes.

"WERE GOING IN THAT? COUNT ME OUT." Said Bud, his voice now normal toned, but still on edge.

"You don't-"

"HAVE A CHOICE, I KNOW. ILL GET US A CAR OR SOMETHING, MAYBE THIS BIG TRUCK CAN FIT YOUR FATASS INSIDE."

Bud had flown south, back trailing a few dozen meters (slightly yelling so they could both hear him) and hovering next to a great truck with 'MACK' etched on the front in silver letters, slap bang in the middle of a grill between two rusty red headlights.

Two pipes jutted out of its sides like periscopes. And behind the front chassis a long white container trailed behind it, scorched and scratched with age, the word 'DISPOSAL' was barely made out among the tattered side.

As Luke walked a circle around the truck, he stopped by the driver's door, still slightly ajar from the previous owner, Jack most likely. Luke clambered up the steps a few feet in the air, and managed to crawl into the crude seat as if he was back in the playground. The leather steering wheel towered over his seating form, he was barely able to look over the dashboard, and his toes hit the old pedals slightly, not fully.

"Can you drive kid?" came Coles voice to his left, the MEC stood out the open door, guns strapped to him, arms crossed.

"N-no, I mean, I saw my dad drive all the time but…"

"Do you know or not?"

"Not really."

"Then watch."

Cole clung one arm to one of the exhaust pipes, and hung like a monkey as he talked and pointed at various things inside the truck. Gear stick, clutch, brake and acceleration. When to clutch, brake and all that stuff. But with way more than six gears, the poor kid had told Cole to repeat himself about ten times. A quarter hour passed, and little progress was made.

Bud flew behind Cole's shoulder, eye still boiling like lava.

"COLE…"

"Press the clutch again slightly to the floor, _not_ all the way…"

"COLE…"

"What?"

"WE GOT ZOMBIE THINGS, RIGHT BEHIND US."

"Damn it, how many?"

"GOTTA BE AT LEAST HALF A HUNDRED. THESE ONE CAN RUN FASTER THAN USAIN."

"Give the boy a hand in starting this thing up, I'll be on the roof."

"The roof-"

"Let's _move_." Cole said as he watched behind the truck, out of Luke's view, but he could still hear the sound of feet dragging across the pavement behind them.

"COME ON THEN." Bud said. "LETS GET STARTED, TURN THOSE KEYS… WHY ARE THERE KEYS?"

"It's like the driver literally disappeared."

"INDEED, START HER UP."

He did, and was surprised to see the FE dial was almost full.

-XXX-

The engine rumbled, then ignited in a satisfying thrust of exhaust from its two pipes that emitted black smoke into the air. The MEC clunked his way to the back end of the trailer, minigun watching the south road that led into nothingness.

Several shadows of humanoids came into view, not slowly, not running, more like a jog that required too much effort for the 'Zombie things' Bud spotted. It could be just humans infected with Chyssalid poison, his flamethrower could put that down easily.

Only he had a feeling that this wasn't a case, as when the first of the pack of Wild Ones presented its hulked form to him.

Its skin was a creamy pink, its flesh hugged its bones freakishly. Several veins came out of its skin like worms, wriggling around as if trying to get comfortable. It had horrible mutated feel, parts of the toes were flaking, skin sagged off its form like a wrapper from a peeled candy bar.

Its bald head held two white eyes and jagged teeth, crinkled lips snared at him, and a horrible croak mixed with a scream escaped its fucked up face.

He emptied precisely ten bullets into his upper half. Cole was surprised this only slowed it down, he shot ten more bullets, then it fell face first into the dirt.

"Cole!" yelled the boy from the driver's window, head out like a dog would on a trip.

"Get moving." He replied robotically, activating his jet boots and jumping up to the trailers roof. Cole heard the engine grind, then stop completely.

He heard Bud shout:

"DON'T DROP IT, SLOW…SLOWLY." He dragged out the final word, as if it was a delicacy. The engine started again, and they moved slowly forward.

The lumbering Wild Ones sped up as if on cue, not even glancing at their fallen comrade.

"Faster!" he cried, unsure if they could hear him up here.

"CANT RUSH IT METAL-MAN." He heard Bud from a distance say.

Not wishing for another stall, Cole was silent, and stood upon the back edge of the trailer as he got ready for the lumbering forms to start running full speed.

And they did.

Their feet kicked up small pebbles as they sped up inhumanely at the trucks rear end. Cole fired and killed two more of them, the closest to the back. Four more trailed behind them, jumping and leaping over the dead _feral's_ like they were hurdles on a track. Behind them, another three, another six…

It was a goddamn hoard all right.

And they were _climbing_ the trailer sides.

Cole peered over the left side, killing off the two that started clinging to the flaps of the tires. They had some sort of glue or something on their dirty little hands, as they gripped unseen holds into the flat surface of the trailer.

Three more crawled up the sides, only to be met with a handful of bullets to their deformed faces. Cole reloaded, chucking the empty barrel into the next Wild One, which – to his disappointment – didn't go flying off into the road below.

Cole, with a whir of gears, turned around and took two steps forward, spraying a hellfire of bullets down the other side of the trailer he stood upon. About seven angry faces greeted him.

He thought the bugs were fast.

These things were faster, somehow.

He killed off two before something grabbed his left arm. He shot a glance that way, finger still clenching the trigger of his gun, and saw one of them staring him down (or up in this case).

He punched its ugly face and sent it tumbling down back whence it came.

"Faster damn you!" he cried. "Faster!"

Luke did, ever so slightly. The wheels revolved faster, and the engine howled under the new-found stress.

"COME ON KID. INTO FIFTH, CANT OUTRUN THESE FREAKS IF YOUR GOING TWO MILES AN HOUR!"

"I'm going faster than that!"

"PUT YOUR FOOT DOWN!"

Luke flinched under both the drones outburst and the _Brrrrt_ of Coles gun behind him. And he did, he slammed his foot to the pedal, or as far as he could do. He had to slant his posture on a weird angle to get his foot further down to the plastic surface.

Luke could barely see what lay ahead now.

Bud looked at him oddly, twisting his arms around in circles.

"WHAT… WHAT'RE YOU DOING?"

"D-Driving?"

"EYES ON THE ROAD. GRRR, YOU STEER, ILL WORK THE PEDALS!"

Bud brushed his legs aside as he drone disappeared into the pedal area. Luke brought his body into a cross-legged position, allowing his head to see the road ahead.

Just in time to see one of the rogue cars come into his path.

"Bud!"

But he was too late, the truck slammed into the hulk, sending it flying off to the right, twirling and twirling into the air like a missile. It eventually disappeared off the far right lanes barrier, gone as quick as it came.

Luke's head was sent forward, he brought up his hands just in time to brace and protect his head from smashing into the giant wheel.

Bud hit the floor, but recovered easily.

"HA! CLEAR A PATH LUKEY-BOY!"

Cole meanwhile sunk his feet into the roof, making sure he wasn't sent off like the car was. He fell back to the front of the trailer, spraying down the climbing Wild Ones as they crowded the roof like undying fans desperate for a signature.

On his direct right, a feral's hand clasped onto the trailer with such force, that it indented the metal below it. Next its head came over, teeth bared in a snarl. It hoisted itself up and onto the edge belly upwards. Its bare chest held two saggy bulbs of flesh, hanging down all the way to its belly, with two protrusions on each end of mass.

A sudden whir on a jet engine came from his fist, and he slammed a kinetic strike into the saggy things head, a puff of red, and all that remained was its arm, still firmly grasping the edge.

The truck whined and groaned, a gear change, and a small increase in speed.

The cloud was closing in fast.

More correctly, _they_ were going to _it._

The truck was going at a speed that the feral's had trouble keeping up. At least, the ones on the ground were tiring, but the ones on the sides still held firm, several pairs of hands clutched with uncanny strength as they held on for dear life.

There had to be half a dozen of the things on the roof now with him.

He spun up his gun, and fired six shots, then it clicked.

 _Empty._

As his arms did the reloading trick he had programmed into his head, one feral got to close, and clenched one hand into his chest, the other punched ferociously.

It would've been laughable to see such a display of they were normal's.

But they weren't.

Surprisingly, the metal it held became indented like the trailer before him, and the punching actually made two sparks fly off of him.

He hits the head with his gun, and its face disappears like the last one. Cole would have continued on with his reload if he had enough arm room. But the feral's crowded and covered him. He swung again and again wildly in great arcs, sending limbs flying, heads rolling, blood splattering.

After a fourth kill, he brought out his revolver and pushed it forward. The suns beams of light shone brightly off the metalwork of the chamber, it was the tool of ultimate destruction.

He fanned the hammer with his right hand, bringing the gun down to his waist as he did so. His aim was true, six shots, six kills. His arms were a blur before and after the feral's dropped dead on the roof.

The casings of expended bullets hit the metal floor with small clinks like wind chimes, they rolled off into the road below, which was but a blur to his eyes.

He hadn't noticed he had dropped his minigun until he slipped another six rounds into his canon.

Like a child who lost their favourite toy, he scanned with widened eyes. He saw his great gun lying precariously on the side of the trailer, half of the barrel exposed to the ground that passed by.

He shot his canon again, missing once, killing five more feral's, whose bodies collapsed in heaps and tumbled over the edges.

A few Wild ones remained, one in particular, wearing some sort of urban camouflage, kicked slightly at the minigun at its feet, it went slowly, so as to not fall of like its kin.

Three shots, dead in the chest. And the thing stumbled, but recovered, kicking the gun again slightly. With the final three shots, two hit the things head, and the other hit the gun on the ground, making it spin a whole rotation, and making it come inwards rather than out to the highway below.

Then darkness.

He couldn't see a meter ahead of him, all was black like midnight.

They had entered the cloud, and his helmets auto breather activated.

Not a good sign.

-XXX-

The breath Luke held in had suddenly released from his lips, a long sigh passed him as he entered the cloud. The blackness caught in his throat, choking him slightly and quenching his airway. The smell, it was _intoxicating_.

It wanted him to take more of the air in.

And he did. It was like drugs, he felt like he needed a fix, and that this air was a limitless source of what he wanted, what he needed.

He took one long breath.

Exhaled.

Then the truck hit another car wreck, this one was sent off to the left this time, hitting into a great blue station wagon with a loud crash of metal. This seemed to knock him out of his trance, or maybe it was the now yelling drone that worked the pedals like some mad worker out to prove himself.

"UH OH! THAT'S A LOT OF SHIT IN THE AIR, HOLD YOUR BREATH KID!"

"But, I don't even know how far we have to go…"

"LIGHTS ON! TURN THE DIAL ON THE HANDLE DOWN TWICE."

Luke did. The stick on the side (as he was shown) held a small dial, and it rotated twice, with two satisfying clicks.

The eyes affront the truck lit up like stars, great white beams of light brightened up the road ahead, and apart from all the darkness that swallowed them, at least _some_ of the road could be seen.

That, and a few flying squids.

Just like the one in the station. Flying alongside the front of the MACK like escorts. Two on each side, staring with four orange eyes each.

Their mouths erupted in green flames, and great blobs of plasma hit the chassis of the vehicle, one shot _Shum_ 'ed passed his head, indenting the back of his seat, sizzling the leather like sausages on a barbeque.

The road they drove upon had been at a constant turning to the left slightly, sort of like a banana, all Luke had to do was turn the wheel slightly, and all was well (as well as whatever it could be).

Now the road bared to the right now, hidden inside the alien cloud.

The Long Stretch was a sort of weird 'S' shape, stretched out longer and less wider.

Luke's hands were white from the strain in his grip on the wheel, he shoved it to the right, attempting a dodge from the incoming fire.

He turned sharply right, and knocked into one of the flying squids metal form, it bumped, reeled around, and shot its head into the door window. Glass shards were sent flying into the compartment.

Luke screamed, both in pain and in fear, the squids _mouth_ erupted in a green fire after a moment. He brings up his right forearm in defence for his face, and gritted his teeth.

He thought that perhaps it would miss, maybe Cole would grab it from behind and yank it out onto the road, or maybe Bud would fly up and shoot it dead. Hell, maybe it would _miss._

None of that happened.

It fired one deadly bolt into Luke.

 _Shum_

His arm melted, and tears of pain started to pour from his eyes.

A metal arm clenched over one of the squids tentacles, and one second later it was gone, he heard a crunch of metal, then bullets.

His arm was bleeding both red and green. It stung like a thousand bees and wasps, and he swore he could see bits of white bone…

But he kept the truck going.

If only Cole was a second earlier… he wouldn't be in this state, but Luke knew, deep down, he was already fucked from the start.

-XXX-

He held up the Seeker like a cop would do in an out-of-control interrogation. Both hands clasping its face and holding its eyes up to his own mask of death. He brought his kinetic fist back, and slammed it through its hull, its 'face' was no longer recognisable.

He tossed it away, and brought up both his canon and his minigun. He mowed down all of the flying aliens on great beams of fire and powder. Bullets flew, every tenth or so would be like a small red firework.

As the tracers flew high into the air, the red lights mixed the darkness made his gun look like shooting lead lasers. Each beam disappeared into the darkness if they missed, or the Seekers dodged.

Like a magician, he reloaded his canon – and held it – in his left hand, his fingers danced around bullets while dangling the magnum off the pinkie, programmed to perfection. While his right just continued on his death spree.

Two, four, seven flying Seekers fell, each one not close enough to strangle him like a snake.

Perhaps they had exhausted all there black ejaculate, and that was what they were currently driving through right now.

He hadn't gone unscathed, his hull armour currently held at about seventy-five percent, and his chassis had some green scorch marks, but he was alright.

Not as bad as what the boy in the driver's seat was.

Cole finished off the last two Seekers, floating around the front of the truck like bugs on a hot summers day. They shot at him, missed, and died, there wrecks making small jostles when the great tires rolled over them.

Cole looked up ahead, the road was straight, but the truck was ever so slightly dragging along closer and closer to the left barrier.

The MEC bent forwards to the front windshield, small cracks that looked like lightning dotted the shield, and green goop slopped down to the grill below. Cole peered deeply into the driver's seat, an excuse for what Luke looked like could vaguely be seen.

"Bud is he-"

"ONE SECOND." Bud replied in his most calm voice yet. He (within a span of two seconds) flew up, smashed his hull into the windshield, shattering it, and disappeared into the bottom of the truck, where feat belonged. Glass clinked off of his helmed face and arms, but did little to nothing. The shattering revealed a bloody arm, mixed with plasma, making a yellow paste soak down the boys 'arm'.

He was crying silently, and tried to look past Cole, at the road ahead.

"Boy, are you-"

"Don't call me that!" he replied rudely.

Without indication, Cole grasped the wheel, and teetered the wheel slightly back to the right, straightening their path.

Cole could barely recognise the resistance Luke held.

"Keep going straight."

"Why don't you do it?" The boy's voice was a wine, almost a plea.

"I'm too big."

"And I'm too small."

"Hold on Luke, were almost there."

They both knew he didn't know squat about where they were or how far they had left. Cole would have asked if Luke was 'OK' or if his arm hurt, but such things were stupid to say, and they _all_ knew this.

Cole noticed a low hum had sounded out behind him, to the truck's front, above the highway. Though due to the darkness, he couldn't see the source, but whatever it was, it sounded _big._

So, he activated his thermals, and this is what he saw, high in the sky.

One giant ship that was rectangular, it almost looked like a skyscraper on its side. Two giant circles on one end lit up like jet engines. The thing was alien for sure, maybe one of those transport UFO's that they had shot down countless times.

What complicated things was that he could literally _see_ the ship with thermals, as if the great flying object was living, breathing, and alive.

Puffs of smoke filtered out of its sides like gashes in steam pipes. Hundred of vents, randomly patterned around the bottom side of the ship, seeped into the air like poison.

The poison surrounding them? Most likely. Maybe as a sort of defence mechanism, but for what? True this place was fucked beyond all reason, but was the Source, or the Peak, really so bad that even an alien carrier would stop, drop and roll?

After spying six bullets flying inbound to the truck, he switched thermal off, and readied himself.

The bullets were pods, and like deadly meteors that kill the earth, they were intent on killing the truck.

They were directly overhead, and with a whirr of gears, Cole bent his back at an almost right angle, holstered his magnum, and fired his minigun nonstop.

The pods were like fighters at pearl harbour, as the pods descended at a killable speed, hundreds of bullets soared passed, some landed, but not enough to damage significantly.

In the pods were thin tall figures, arms crossed over themselves like vampires in coffins.

Like coffins, that's what they were.

The bullets did little, so Cole arced his back once more, and fired a volley of three grenades into the air. The pods were closing fast, and his three comets needn't travel to high.

Two missed, one hit, exploding on impact and making a great explosion in the sky like a firework. The alien inside didn't even know what hit it before it was too late.

One pod struck the hood of the car like a pencil in paper (unknown to them, the one in the chamber died due to a lucky bullet to its brain). One hit the road to the side, now consumed in darkness as they drove on.

The final three struck the top of the trailer, two on the left, one on the right. The black fog that ensued them now held small little pockets of rubble and dirt, and they plinked off the alloy hulls that held the fiercest of aliens within.

The fronts of the pods opened in sync, like small gates into kingdoms. They were slow, but the things within them were already halfway out before the doors parted fully.

The closest two were Thin Men, but had a bit of armour on their shoulders, and were slightly more muscle, but not much.

Cole locked eyes with the last pods inhabitant.

Not much shocked Cole ever since his parents died, and that was the last time he felt such fear and confusion in his life. That, and his augmentation into a living breathing machine, were two forces that only the sanest of beings could go through and not go insane.

This however, brought back the feeling of fear, fear what the future might bring, and eventually, _would_ bring. The MEC was scared, and confused, for the first time in his robotic life.

Cole thought these two grey suited Thin Man would at least prove a challenge (with the muscle and all) but was mistaken, they fell to his minigun, albeit a bit longer than an ordinary Thin Man would, but they still died like the monsters they were.

But the third alien, if that was what it was, had unseen surprises he would later come to respect, and hate.

 _Hssss…._

Then a rattling, like maracas, but _far_ from that.

It stood on the far end of the trailer, and Cole did the same, they looked like they were about to standoff, Mexican style.

The alien was tall, maybe not up to his height, but about six and a half feet. Its slitted eyes were that of blood, its 'head' would be more appropriate to be called a 'hood'. Its scaly neck connected its weird 'V' shaped hood to its human female-like chest. It donned blue armour, covering its shoulders all the way to its thin waist. Which was, in fact, connecting a long tail that curled up like a hose underneath it.

Two thin arms held a blade and pistol, both green.

The alien quivered out a long pink tongue, hissing again, it flexed its 'hood' threateningly, and rattled its tail.

To put it blandly, it was a fucking snake with arms.

She (he didn't assume, he just knew) examined him with equal curiosity, and if this newfound enemy had any wisdom, it would be as feared of him as he was of her.

It traced his metal chassis with its black and red eyes. From his metal toes (more like pads that helicopters use to land on) all the way up to his skull face.

Whatever sort of drug was in this air, it amazed him. The Snake – if he was not mistaken by the dark or something else – actually tilted its head slightly, like a _bow._

Whatever unknown force that held him back from killing the Snake instantly, backed off, and his will was his own once more.

"Time to die."

Cole was never one to taunt nor talk during his battles, but this place, wherever it was from, took its toll on him, be he a man or machine.

He pointed the barrel forwards, and fired.

 _Br-_

A long slick tongue wrapped around his minigun, and yanked it away from his hands. Had he been ready, he would have been able to hang on. But he wasn't.

The snake now held his gun by its side, almost smiling in victory.

-XXX-

She was the antithesis.

When she was first blinded by the bright lights of the city of 'Beijing', she had always been the one to become more curious than hateful towards the society of this planet, doomed for assimilation.

Hateful was such a wrong word, such a misinterpretation that many of the species of the coalition succumbed to, despite the Ethereal's words of wisdom.

 _Do not hate the new ones, they are like us, but babes, babes who cry out for us, but fail to realise their mouths are opened._

A thousand pounds of bullets sure told her that their mouths were definitely _not_ opened in cries of help, but screams of anger.

Her first 'steps' on the humans planet were quick, painful, and uncomfortable. She never truly got used to the changes in her body to make her more human-looking.

That's why she simply looked, reported, and returned.

Over and over until she could go back to her true self.

Her original form wasn't always like this. She supposed (never truly finding out why) that her _backwards_ changes seemed to never get rid of all the human filth upon her.

Despite good backing from her leaders and commanders, she insisted she stay this way after she was done. But she was doomed to stay upon a ship until the humans were ready for their true forms to be shown.

And now here she was, on some dark corner of the galaxy, in some even more darker part of a backwashed planet. Flying down to her doom in deaths shell.

This place effected her crew and her in many ways. Insanity, depression, even death. _The Queens Voice_ had been told to investigate anomalies on the Earth at the source, this city, indigenously known as _Bloodburne_.

Bloodburne was the end of a gun, and the Ethereal's orders were the trigger.

Not even the smoke from the ship could keep the toxins in the air away. They were exposed, just like babes.

When her fellow remember would see humans, be them armed or not, they would fire, fight, kill from afar.

She was the antithesis.

Only a coward would not look her enemy in the eyes before striking them down. She preferred blades due to this, but her pistol always was essential, as humans always fought from afar.

That was, until she could get close enough, then they would _have_ to fight her head on.

When her death-shell landed on top of the humans truck, and she escaped its confines to watch two experimental's die to a human/machine…

She was close enough.

Never before had she seen someone like this, unless you count the high ones, who lost their legs and replaced with jets and mechanical implants.

She seemed to have had that effect on him, the one that makes you stop and think about 'How did I even get here?' She had those moments, perhaps she had one right now as she stared at the robot.

She could smell the human male stench on him, somewhere behind its metal front was a being, something the Ethereal's neglected.

She was the antithesis, a very _loyal_ one at that.

She would kill this one, so she would.

She respected the horrors it must have went through to become what it is now, a machine of death, the wrecks and bodies of her allies proved that.

She bowed, a small smile painted her face, she knew she affected him now more than ever.

She looked up and saw it held a giant gun in two equally massive black hands, pointed at her dome.

"Time to die." Came from the filtered robotic English from in front of her.

She unhooked her jaw, and lashed out her tongue like a whip, ensnaring the gun and ripping it like a toy from a… babe, ironically.

Oh gods was it heavy. But she wasn't about to be killed from a distance, no way.

She barely had the strength to lift it off the ground, its scratched its way to her, and she propped it up to her side for support, smiling still as she recoiled her tongue back into her fanged mouth.

It teetered with the rickety ride that they stood upon, and she couldn't help herself to stop the gun from falling away from her, and off the edge of the vehicle.

The gun became a blur, and was gone. Lost to the rubble they called a city.

-XXX-

She dropped it.

 _She fucking dropped it._

That minigun had seen him through hell and back, and now, within seconds of spotting this snake, it was gone.

Had he not been so foolish to simply kill the thing while it came out of its pod, he'd be all well and dandy, right at the Peak within a few minutes, sipping down water and watching the word heal.

And of course, find his target, who would undoubtedly be at the Peak.

Not a split second later after the minigun fell, now simply a piece of valuable dirt in the urban wasteland, he charged. His feet ran so hard they made more dents in the war-torn roof of the truck and trailer (bits of limbs and a corpse or two were squashed beneath him as well).

She hadn't respected the fact of his gigantic size, and her eyes widened the moment his feet came forth towards her.

She lifted up her pistol, and peppered his front eight times. There was no room to manoeuvre out of the way, so he took the brunt of it head on, literally. Specks of plasma spit off his face and chest, melting away the hardened steel that took so many bullets before today.

On the eighth _Shum_ , he was upon her.

She twisted around him, now at his back, and brought the fang-like blade down into his rear end.

Cole looked down, a bit of the Snakes blade stuck out of the other side of him, the metal melted some more, like ice cream.

His gears whirl as he twists his body to meet her, but of course, being impaled, she swung around with him, still out of view. The MEC kept on spinning, and she kept a firm grip on her ancient weapon. Neither of them made any progress for half a minute.

That was until the MEC fired a lone grenade high into the air above them, in one straight arc so as to come directly back down. It beeped several times, faded, then came back down like a comet.

The snake watched the clever little tactic the MEC employed, and hastily (just in time) pulled out her blade and slithered to the front of the truck. MEC in tow.

The trailer's rear erupted in fire, sending the Snake forwards into a stumble, but the MEC didn't even falter in his pursuit.

After all, she couldn't go very far, or anywhere.

He was a mere meter away from encasing her very good looking neck with his hands when she flicked her head back at him, hissed, and spat at him. This was no mere human-saliva spit, this was pure, deadly poison, just like a real snake would do to prey.

Thick green substance came out from its yellow-white fangs, and spread over him like a coat, had this been a Thin Man, this would be laughable. But this poison made him stop in his tracks.

All of the venom chiselled his hull, even his helmet buckled under the acidic substance.

It picked itself up and moved forward.

 _The gun. You idiot, your gun._

Still in its holster, his magnum lay dormant, almost twitching to be used to kill.

Just as he reached his now sizzling arm to the holster, a bright light engulfed him and his vision. So bright, that he had to close his eyes, a _robot_ had to close his eyes…

From the sun.

They emerged into the light once more.

The endless cloud in the endless city had, in fact, ended.

The Long stretch _stretched_ out in front of them in a long line, on its sides were tops of buildings, grey from the elements. At the very end of the highway was the sun, low in the sky and dead in front of where the road went. In its shadow, a jagged rock-like structure jutted out from the ground, it was like an upside down 'V' that acted like a beacon for all the north.

The Peak.

It had to be. There were even small electrical lights near it in futuristic looking buildings, less wear and tear on them.

The truck stuttered its engine in pain, and began slowing down.

-XXX-

"COME ON." Bud muttered from below.

"What's happening?" said Luke, looking confusingly at the dials, though he knew not what they meant.

"OH, MAYBE A GRENADE TO OUR BACK DID SOMETHING, OR THAT POD KNOCKED THE ENGINE AROUND, WHAT DO I KNOW?"

The continuous black clouds from the trucks exhausts began spluttering. The continuous clouds were now puffs like that of an old train.

"Can't you do something?"

"KID. THIS IS THE END OF OL' MACK. ARE WE CLOSE?"

Luke looks up to the peak in all its old world glory.

"It's only a few miles I think."

"ALLRIGHTY." Bud says, flying up to Luke's side and undoes a small tube from his bottom left arm.

"What's that?"

"COLE'S FACE NEEDS MEDICINE TOO. NOW, LETS GET A LOOK AT THAT ARM."

All the while, the truck slowly comes to a halt.

-XXX-

She stumbled again when the truck lurched forward. Where would running lead her? This was a god dam vehicle on the move, and even when they stopped, what would she do? She had dropped her pistol, and it met a similar fate to the robots minigun.

She spun around to face the robot. It held a small gun of its own, large and metallic just like himself, in his left hand.

Her spit had done its job, the bullets which lined his body were gone, useless now, and only she knew this.

This didn't help as he already had bullets in the chamber.

Two large deadly bullets.

Without mercy, he pulled his right hand to the back of the gun twice, and both of those bullets soared into the air, right into her abdomen. She was taken aback a bit to far, and was sent sprawling down the front of the vehicle, into the tough ground below.

At least her armour held.

-XXX-

The Snake hit the hood, and bounces to the ground, out of view.

Luke looks up from his improvised surgery on his arm (he had been squinting from the pain, but just managed to see and hear the tumbling alien).

"You hear that?" he said, looking around.

"YEP, LET FATASS DEAL WITH IT."

A second later, the MEC jumped from the roof, in pursuit again.

 _CLUNK!_

-XXX-

Her tail twisted awkwardly, not breaking, but in pain nonetheless. She used her arms to drag herself forwards while her tail recovered.

 _CLUNK!_

The MEC had landed behind her on one knee, she looked back, blade in hand, ready to strike for one last chance.

But he was quick this time.

His jet boosted fist swept away her blade, sending it clanging to the ground past he, out of reach. He planted one boot on her tail, pinning her down like an animal.

She looked up, he looked down. His skull had one large wad of green on its side, obviously conflicting his vision. But she knew those eyes were sharp, sharper than hers, maybe.

He lifts up his canon, slowly, and levels it to her eyes. She did not fight it, struggle or curse, she simply looked on at her killers eyes, if that's where they were.

With utmost care, Cole flicks the chamber out, and loads an auto loader from his chest into the empty sockets. He tossed away the sizzling loader, and flicks the chamber back in, priming it with a thumb.

That was his loading trick, and he didn't need two arms to do it.

One long second passed, and Cole pulled the trigger.

 _Click_

His helmet shifts ever so slightly to the revolver rather than the Snake.

 _Click Click Click_

"Fuck." his filtered voice said.

He reloads again, only to be rewarded with more clicks.

The snake cackles, as if practicing to sound like an old witch. Short hisses like a machine gun, she sounded mad, in that alien way.

"Think it's funny?" he asked angrily. The Snake continued laughing, further agitating him. After no response or change, he pressed harder into its tail, the laughing went from joy to pain quickly.

"Come now, use your hands, let them do the killing."

 _The thing talks_

"Fucking with my bullets. The poison?"

"Indeed."

He presses harder on the tail, making it squirm.

"How long has your ship been here?"

"To long."

"Did you see anyone else travel through here?"

"A lot. You're going to have to be more specific-OW!"

Her tail practically snapped now under his weight.

At that moment, the truck door opened, and out came Bud and Luke. Luke had a pale arm now, it looked much better than the last Cole saw it.

They walked - and flew - over to the MEC and the Snake. The four of them exchanged glances for a while, until Bud broke the silence.

"COME ON KING, KILL IT AND LETS GO."

"King?" Luke asked.

"HIS CODENAME, STUPID RIGHT? ANYWAY, WHY HAVNT YOU KILLED IT YET, HMM?"

Cole switched glances from Bud to the Snake before talking.

"She can tell us the best route to the Peak."

"She can?"

"I can?"

"You _will._ "

"BUT KING, LETS JUST GET GOING."

"No can do. Look."

They all did as one, and saw a thousand feral coming down the highway like a swarm of rats from up ahead. Not running, but walking, perhaps they hadn't noticed them yet.

"LETS JUST GO AROUND." Bud said as he flew up high to scan around, doing six spins before coming down again. "NEVER MIND, GET HER TO TELL US SOMETHING, QUICKLY!"

"What's wrong?" the boy asked. "What's down there?"

"A HELLUVA LOT OF MORE WILD ONES."

Cole spoke next, he knew a ship like that wouldn't come here blind, and would almost certainly know how this place ticks, so he simply asked her one question which she would (and did) know how to answer.

"How do we get to the Peak?"

"I won't tell."

She had collapsed next to a car hulk, a greyish-blue sedan. So without lifting his foot, he hoists up the car and replaces his foot with it. The pain was more intense now, and they were surprised she could still clench the end of her tail into a knot.

Through gritted teeth (that's what she sounded like) she said, "You just going to leave me? That it?"

"Let's go around then guys, quickly."

"But you just said-"

"Let's go." said Cole, interrupting the boy.

The three of them turned, backtracking to the last exit of the Long Stretch. Not looking back to the snake pinned underneath the car.

With each meter they gained from her, her heart began to sink.

 _They will turn, they need me._ She thought, desperately.

Twenty meters now, not a glance.

"You'll come back!" she yelled.

Suddenly a pair of teeth chomped down on her arm just below her armour, she hissed, and cut back on the feral that had clamped onto her with four scaly fingers.

The damn things skin was like leather, and he talons didn't puncture its flesh one bit.

"ALRIGHT!" she yelled, a lot louder this time. "HELP ME!"

"How do we get to the Peak?" the MEC called back, stopping the group.

"UNDERGROUND!"

Two cracks of thunder rang out, and the MEC stood over her once more, the feral had two holes in both its eyes, and it slumped down next to her, dead.

He lifts up the car and thrusts it back in its place.

"How did you-"

"You're lucky my back has a few shells left. Come, show us the way."

"You _fucking_ broke it!"

He grabs her shoulder with one metal hand, hoisting her up. She wheezed slightly, but stood tall.

"Not much, you'll live."

The kid picks up her blade with two hands, only glancing at her once before following them to the exit to the south.

"Lead the way." the MEC said.

Reluctantly, and painfully, she did.


	5. The Metro

They walked, Snake first, off the nearest exit ramp, descending the incline at a decent pace. The Snake walked (or slithered, whatever) a few steps ahead of Cole, who was shadowed by Bud and Luke, whom were discussing the alien blade Luke held ("I half expected it to be fully plasma, but it's just like a katana!").

When they reached street level, silence swept over them once again like a cloud (or _the_ cloud). Cole and the other two non-aliens compared this place to the dump known as the south side.

This place, the north, was relatively nicer in comparison.

The buildings had a sort of antiqueness to their exteriors. The right angled buildings before the Long Stretch were foul, crumbly and broken. Now it seemed, the buildings curved around there foundations like worms. And it appeared someone had been attending to them regularly.

Cole half expected inhabitants to burst out there front doors and live normal lives, that was how… normal looking… this district was.

Sure the cars were still wrecks and husks like empty shells, but at least they had some of their colour in them.

Like a kid on a long trip, Bud once more asked her how far, this must've been time number four.

"HOW LONG, SNAKE?" Bud spat the last word out, as per usual.

"The high metro is just down this-a-way, about half a unit away." She replied coolly, despite her situation. But in that voice was a subtle quiver, as she quickly took a glance back to the boy, who held her blade like a… child.

"And please, do mind my blade." she finished.

"Just like _you_ took care of _my_ weapon? Kid, don't listen to it."

"You would've been a coward, killing from afar. Cant face your foe without adding more... _machines,_ to help you."

"Your ships and weapons are more advanced than ours, you're in no position to talk."

"Yet here I am."

Cole pushed his magnum into her back with a whack, and they moved onwards.

-XXX-

"THIS IS TAKING FOREVER!"

"My repairs? Or this trip?"

"BOTH!"

"She sure did a number on you, didn't she?"

"Yes, I did."

"Don't encourage her, be silent, all of you."

They headed north, then east, then north, west, then north again. After an unusually long time of walking down barren roads, clearly the boy was getting bored, and Cole could, and also couldn't, blame him.

"Cole?"

"What did I just say?"

"You never told me how you even got here in the first place."

"Not now."

"C'mon, tell me."

"No."

"It'll help pass the time."

"YOU DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT." Bud said as he welded together Coles back with a series of sparks from his arms. "BUT IT WILL PASS THE TIME. ASSUMING THIS SNAKE GETS US THERE, AND NOT INTO THE JAWS OF BLOODUBURNE."

"It _is_ quite a way." The Snake added in.

The Snake wouldn't lead them astray, she had little choice in the matter. This place would kill her off if she was left alone, and she would be dead if she took a wrong turn, the _all_ would. But perhaps this machine man would let her live if she complied. Living was the only thing on her mind right now.

After all, she had no way of reaching her ship again. Death shells were one way trips, and there was only one way to return, you kill everything. Captured? Forget it.

Cole thought about recalling his final chapter of his tale, perhaps saying something like that with an alien nearby would break many regulations.

But XCOM was dead, probably for good. They probably knew all about that by now.

"I'LL HELP." Bud said.

"Leave it to me." He replied coldly.

-XXX-

It was his last day in the base, and Cole somehow knew it.

He was with Shen in the cybernetics bay, asking him about the angry personality that 'Bud' had been given.

"It was a prototype AI I have been working on the fly. I call it 'Julian', but it's far from its potential, I will work on it later. Maybe get rid of its anger."

"AI? A true one?"

"Almost, not quite."

"IM RIGHT HERE PEOPLE." Came the little drones voice on the table.

At that moment, Susan walked in, clipping her metal feet towards them. Shen noticed with a side glance.

"I'll leave you two to it, Colonel."

"Sir."

Shen left, greeting Susan on his way out. She came up to his side, and stared with much intent at the drone for a few moments.

"Cole…"

"Yes?"

She turned her head towards him, giving him a warm, yet reluctant, smile. He returned it.

"You heard about the last squad?"

There smiles fade. "Yes. Six men and women dead."

"No, there was another team, yesterday, same place, all dead as well. Commander wants it 'under the radar', but I listened in."

"It's a hard world."

"It's a hard cause to fight for when were all sent to our deaths."

"It's for the best of… humanity…"

Cole realised then and there that he truly did sound like a machine. But he had little time to ponder, Susan spoke again.

"Alright Cole, yeah… for the best of us all." Her eyes drooped.

"Susan I…"

"I'll be on the bridge. Go there later, alright?"

"…Alright."

She left as quick as she came. Leaving him and Bud alone in the bay.

"GOOD JOB, 'PARTNER'."

"Hush, lets test your repairs again." Cole said, now walking over to his black chassis that lay dormant in the corner, right next to Susan's.

-XXX-

With a groan, Bud complied, and they tested out his in built welders and medicine sticks, which were similar to handheld medkit's, if his face was ever scorched or burned. Half an hour of this went by.

After a small argument about the best way to rip each other's arms off, the bay went red, alarms blared out like police sirens, and chaos once again found its way into their cluster in the ground.

"WHAT'S THAT MEAN?" Bud said, slightly worried.

" _Attention, HQ is under attack, human personnel are mind controlled, and alien forces are massing nearby, prepare for contact."_

That robotic girls voice was calm despite the danger they were all in.

An explosion erupted overhead, probably the hanger bay, if he guessed right. With clunking boots, Cole rushed to the table Bud was on, and grabbed his minigun, and his revolver he, Shen, and Bud had helped make.

As Cole prepped more grenades, and fastened ammo to his body, Bud was practically screaming.

"OH, NOW THEY'VE COME TO TAKE ME OUT, THANKS A LOT COOOLE! SHOULD'VE JUST KEPT ME OUT THERE IN THAT DESERT AND…"

A flick of Coles finger, and the light changed back to green. It wouldn't go red again until Cole was many miles away from here.

Bud chirped happily, as if to say _'No problem boss, let's get to it!'_

Another explosion, this time outside the bay he stood in, that's when a sudden thought came to him.

 _Susan…_

 _I'll be on the bridge... go there later, alright?_

 _Alright._ He thought right back.

Despite the calm voice from before, Cole took triple the amount of ammo he usually used, all just in case. He was halfway out the door when he finally strapped his revolver to his leg as a final prep for the coming fight.

He exits the oval shaped door into a brownish white hallway. On his left was a dead end, two vents on a wall. To his right was the elevator, one that could hold several tons of cargo and not even hinder under the weight. With chirpy Bud behind him, he runs to the elevator in desperation.

Even with the uncomfortably loud alarms in such a confined space, Cole still heard the rattling of metal behind him.

He whirrs around, gun trained to the two vents that were the source of the noise, shaking like small earthquakes.

After a few seconds, the one on the left opened, and out popped a Thin Man, accompanied by a drone like Bud, only cyan.

The alien got two _Shum's_ off before Cole got one _Brrrrt_ into it.

Coles aim was true, so was his dodging capabilities, the green balls sailed past harmlessly.

The other vent was slammed open by a booted foot, and out came two more Thin Men. This time there shots were on target, and Cole grunted under the effort, and slowly walked backwards to the elevator. Him and Bud firing wildly at the aliens as they moved.

Another Thin Man, they poured through the vents like ( _snakes_ ) rats.

"Open the elevator Bud!" he ordered. Bud Complied, stopped fighting, and flew back at twice his normal speed to the lifts console.

The hinges whined and creaked as the metal grinded against metal, somehow managing to challenge the noise of the alarms themselves. The entrance slid open upwards, and the way was opened in a matter of moments.

Bud chirped as if to hurry him up, and Cole did. He turned his back on the waves upon waves of Thin Men behind him, and raced for the exit. Plasma bounced off his back, but he paid little mind to them.

He took cover behind the right side of the elevator doors, and issued Bud to start up the lift, to the highest level. Bud went unnoticed, and came through unscathed.

The lift doors closed, the Thin Men did not pursue, instead they ran into the cybernetics bay, and disappeared.

They went up.

The next level they passed was a horrifying scene, it was as if the lift slowed down so as he could take it all in.

The corridor beyond was filled with XCOM and bugs alike, almost every human was paired with one or two bugs who clawed at their prone or crouching forms. They were backed against the lifts doors in a desperate last stand, spraying countless bullets with frightened faces.

There had to be no room to move, there was so many of them.

One man, wearing blue Kevlar and a cap bearing the XCOM logo, clawed through the metal grill and yelled at him with wide eyes.

"HELP US!"

"Bud… override the lifts parameters, keep this lift going." Cole said coldly.

Bud beeped, confirming his orders, and went to work on the inner terminal.

"WHAT! NO! WHAT'RE YOU DOING!?"

Coles voice was cold, yet he did not hesitate in ordering Bud. Cole looked the man in the eyes, his skull mask showed the poor man a truly darker side of the MEC.

"YOU'VE KILLED US!"

As the lift continued to ascend, the man's face remained staring madly at Cole and his drone. A second later, two taloned hands wrapped around his shoulders, an ant face snarled behind it. The man screamed without turning around.

Cole whipped out his magnum, and shot the man between the eyes within two seconds. The man's body went limp, leaning up against the grill, smearing blood onto the floor of the lift. The bug stabbed its fangs into the back of his head, injecting that cruel poison into his body, even though the man was already dead.

It stuck one hand through the grill, but it was severed by the closing gap between the corridor and the roof as they went upwards, it spewed yellow pus out, a familiar sight.

The horrible show ended, and Cole reloaded his guns.

With each passing level, horrible things were seen, countless fought and died behind the elevator doors.

And Cole wouldn't help.

-XXX-

" _Top level."_

A ding.

The grill slid open, revealing a warzone.

The bridge was dominated by a huge globe of the planet, on its left, XCOM, on its right, aliens, and even a few EXALT soldiers as well, both fired countless beams at each other from behind the counters and pillars that lined themselves around the globe in the centre.

Strangely, he went unnoticed as he stood there, watching death consume them all.

Even though his fellow humans wielded plasma tech and held titan armour to their chests, they were still getting pummelled down. But even as he watched two, maybe three soldiers fall, he was only looking for one thing.

Susan.

He spied a metallic body clumped to his far left, next to an earthen wall that led to the hanger bay.

Clunking his way forward, he raced passed the raging battle before him. Smashing two alien heads together as he raced past.

He hunkered down next to the body, its head was helmed a white helmet, the one Susan always wore, he ripped it off with a flick of his hand, and peered into the woman's eyes.

Her black eyes.

It wasn't her.

He heard footsteps that could even challenge his own towards the hanger bay. He looked up, and left behind the MEC's body to investigate.

The hanger bay was like an open canyon, several bays lined the high edges of the crusty walls, holding jet fighters and even a few of those new alien aircraft in them. Half of them were aflame, and the landing pad in the centre, on ground level, was destroyed, the Skyranger along with it.

Behind two large crates were three humans, one of them being Shen, the others were titan armour wearing heavy's. Mowing down three aliens ten meters in front of them.

Those three aliens composed of two Mutons, and a Mectoid. But the Mutons were different, they wore thinner green armour, and had those respirators, which was normal. But they seemed ever so slightly smaller, looking more like soldiers than brutes.

One of the heavy's died, and a Muton switched its aim to Cole, firing three great blobs of energy at his body.

He took the force, and mowed down the uncovered Muton with a few dozen bullets. The other Muton died to the heavy, combined with the MEC.

"King!" the heavy called over, and pointed ahead of him. "Take out that thing!"

The Mectoid was quite similar to Cole, big grey suit, with only its little Sectoid head as a source of flesh. Its elbows jutted out from behind it like small blades, and its hands were quite literally canons.

From the centre of the bay, it raises its two arms in sync, and fired a total of eight times, right at the MEC.

Cole charged forwards.

First he ducked slightly, making shots one and two miss. He sent his gun in front of him, holding it out like a gift, and made shot three be absorbed. He took the next two _Shum's_ with a grunt. The last bits of plasma soared passed him and hit the heavy, who had been stood up firing wildly at the Mectoid, sending him down to the ground.

By the time the Mectoid could react, Cole was slamming his fist into its head, with help from his kinetic jet booster.

Its head was like steel, a large dent covered half of its face, one orange eye exploded into a pound of goop. And its entire form lurched sideways.

It sent one arm in a wild arc, hitting Coles side to return the favour. Cole slammed the butt of his minigun into the things chest and fired nonstop, using his other hand to pull hard on its right arm.

After a second, Coles strength was too much, and the Mectoid's arm gave way and severed. Sparks flew, and Cole tossed its arm away like it was nothing.

Cole looked deeply into the aliens indented face for a moment, before bringing back his fist one more time, and killing the thing in one fell swoop.

Its body went rigid, its systems failed, and it fell on its back, dead.

This was maybe the fifth time he killed one of these things.

He raced backwards, Shen was still cowering behind a crate, with two heavy's corpses nearby. Cole squatted to his level, reloading his gun as he did so.

"Shen. Where's Susan?"

"She went to the Commanders quarters, then came here and… she's gone, there _both_ gone."

"The Commander?"

"Those Muton's, they took her up that ladder. Susan… she followed."

Shen pointed up to the hangers roof. One ladder led from the surface to the ground on the far wall.

"I'm going after them."

"Colonel… we need you here, the base will-"

"I'm going, don't tell anyone, I will return."

Without even a goodbye, he left the old man's side, straight for the ladder on the far side. He put his minigun on his back, the magnets there held it in place, and he climbed, climbed until the surface was at his face.

He emerged out of the circular hanger bay's entrance into the afternoon light. He scanned around, his head the only thing above the rim of the base. He saw a UFO, disk shaped, starting up its humming engines.

"Susan…"

He hoisted himself up, and sprinted towards the ship, some fifty meters away. Each step took well over two meters, he was racing against the clock. Each step made huge clumps of sand whisk up and at his heels.

The ships lights were brighter than before.

Without stopping, he launched a grenade, the beeping explosive soared through the air, almost peacefully, until landing on the roof of the ship, igniting it in a small ball of flame.

But the clock cheated, the ship took off from the ground, hovered a moment, then disappeared into the clouds overhead.

Once Cole reached its landing place, he stopped, looked up, and called out.

"Susan!"

 _Fuck, no no no no no._

She was gone. They parted on a bad note, his stupid mouth had scared her off, now she was gone. Still hating him even in the midst of capture. He fell to one knee, and punched the ground harder than he punched the Mectoid.

He sat there, face looking to the ground, guns blazing behind and below him. He then realised that there was a distinct lack of chirping or beeping from his shadow.

"Bu-"

 _Bzzzt!_

His arms went flailing, then stiff, his upper body went rigid, and his back was permanently arced upwards. His fingers were scrunched inwards in agony, and his lips were that of a silent scream.

A hundred thousand small needles went through, around, and into his blood and bones in his head. The pain was terrible, and sparks flew off him in great chunks.

That sound, that _Bzzzt!_ , was that of an arc thrower.

He needn't turn his head to face his attacker for long, there voice filled his ears.

"I'm sorry."

Cole said nothing.

"I really am."

His attacker circled him, until it stood in front of him, arc thrower in hand.

"W-W-W-W-Wh-Whyyyyy?" Coles voice was like a cat scratching metal, and it sounded as if a virus had imbedded itself into his vocals.

"It's just like you said Cole. For the better of humanity."

"I-I-I-I didn't…I-"

"I know Cole, I know. But that doesn't matter anymore, the effects are already imbedded, the wheels are already in motion."

"Y-Y-You… What have Y-Y-Y-You d-done?"

"I've saved more lives than the ones who died today. You will see soon enough."

"W-Why?" He asked again.

Susan, in all her old beauty, had a plain expressionless face the whole while.

"You think being treated like this is what humanity stands for?" she gestures to her body, not in her big suit like Cole, but she was in the base augments, a humanoid figure made of metal. "Sent out there to die? To become machines, killers?"

"W-W-W-We can ch-change-"

"No, Cole… you don't know what your even talking about."

She was silent, face in one hand, thinking, worrying, whatever, Cole no longer cared. Whatever he felt between them had shattered like broken glass, he wanted to kill her, then and there, a bullet, or his own bare fingers, whichever way works. His teeth gritted in pain _and_ anger now.

"I like you Cole, maybe even love you, that's why I'm giving you this chance to live. Go back to XCOM, tell them I'm dead, or that I got away, and forget me. Erase me from your mind."

"N-N-No…"

"You surprise me Cole. I always thought you an old grumpy man, but never a stupid one." She sighs. "Where's Bud?"

Cole said nothing.

"Fine. Take my advice Cole. _Walk away._ "

She shot him again, this time in the head. He gasped in pain, and fell to the ground in a curled ball, his arms tugging at his chest, his face looking up at her.

"When you wake. Forget me, if you value your sanity."

She turns on her heels, and walks, walks right out into the open plains that would stretch on for many days and nights. Barren wastes that were only filled with one cold, dead city, called Bloodburne, as he'd soon find out.

When the pulsing wore off (So much time passed before the sparks stopped), Bud came out from hiding, and helped Cole and repaired him. And unbeknownst to him, Susan was running. Her augments were faster than his, and he eventually grew tired off running, and instead walked. Not fast, not slow, chasing her across the plains, chasing his target.

His target, and Susan, were one in the same.

-XXX-

No noise, no sound, nothing apart from the MEC's feet stomps, Luke's feet clicking, and Bud's sparking repair work.

Half of the party was baffled, even the Snake was speechless. The way he had described and talked about this 'Susan' in such a short amount of time, was really something else.

All that, and he was here to kill her.

"Susan's… she-"

"Yes." Cole, for the first time Luke had heard (the Snake to), lost that determined focused tone he always had, and now it was dreamy, the sound of someone who lost something dear.

After some more silence, the Snake spoke. "Close now, down this road."

"Alright." said (oddly) Cole, in a voice that lost its hate to her.

"Cole?" Luke asked.

Cole didn't say anything, letting Luke continue.

"What will you do… when you find her?"

A pause.

"I-I'll kill her, after finding out why she did it."

"If she doesn't tell you?"

"She will."

"Your _actually_ going to kill her-"

"Be quiet _boy_!"

His robotic voice was now full of hatred, and annoyance.

Finally, after countless steps, they had reached the metro entrance, ten steps led down to a steel gate, and beyond that, tunnels and trains. They stood atop the stairs, looking down into the darkness.

"THIS IT?" Bud asked out loud.

"Indeed, according to our scans, some technology still works down there." said the Snake.

"A TRAIN, MAYBE?"

"Perhaps."

"WELL, WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR?" Bud almost yells in excitement, and speeds down into the metro. Lighting up its lights into something fierce, he was now a flying torch, to put it straight.

Cole lost his emotions, his voice was dark once more. "Don't need a train, can walk it."

"Well, the tunnels are filled with those _things_. It could be too much, in such small spaces."

"Fine. Keep going, then."

She did so, and the three organics followed the red light that bounced off the walls in the tunnel far ahead.

-XXX-

Bud just wanted all this to be over already. He soared through the air, twisting this way and that, up and above ticket booths and entry ways that were but a blur to his sensors.

Snake lady was right, this place would probably light up like Christmas, it just needed a small… _jump start._

A lot of tech was active near the east side (he saw this through a robotic eye), and like a hub, it sent currents all throughout the metro, it was a _source._

He flew towards it, wondering what the _other_ would do in his place. Maybe do that stupid chirping like some pet bird, he needed to learn to grow some balls… so did that kid.

Personally, Bud (he hated the word, preferred Julian I, but never would say it) didn't mind Susan, she was just another human, just more evil than others... If Cole would end her, then so be it, he was just an unlucky drone, dragged into all this because Cole couldn't handle himself.

That big oaf couldn't live without him, yeah, 'Bud' was the hero, so he was.

Bud followed a set of rails for a few minutes, when a bright light shone off to the right side, out of a small doorway. Bud knew the source was there, so he floated in, caution wasn't in his programming.

Inside was a small square room, barren except for the far wall, which had a long terminal along it. Many buttons and switches flicked around at random intervals, but what was _very_ cool, was the fact that there was a small red light imbedded in the wall, above the buttons.

Bud knew, the light was like him.

"H-Hello? Who's there?" Came the most beautiful voice he had ever heard, _ever_.

If a human heard it, well, they wouldn't understand, but he was all ears, in a way.

Bud lost his normal voice, if he had a jaw, it would've dropped to the floor. He rotated – a way to get ready for something, anything – and put on a sweet, deep voice.

"Hellooo be-au-ti-ful, what brings a nice girrrrl like you to a place like this?"

The red eye on the wall seemed to flicker, a blink maybe? He thought maybe she was fluttering her eye at him.

"Well, this is unexpected. I am Moira, how do you do?"

"Oh, I'm doing fiiiine now that I got you in my sensor."

"Oh, thank you. You're not so bad yourself Mr…?"

"Bud."

 _Oh for fu-_

He thought she would laugh at him, think him some stupid servant drone, (which he knew deep down, he was) but instead, she giggled, and said:

"That's a cute name, cutey!" she laughed out the last word, but she meant well.

"I, well, um, yes-yes it is! Yeah…"

"So, _Bud_ (she couldn't say it with a straight voice)… what brings you here of all places?"

"Oh, just checking out the rumours of a _sexy_ AI deep down in this place, _Moira._ " Bud said, dragging out her name.

"Well, I don't know who you've been listening to, but, I appreciate the thought."

Bud floats closer the red light on the wall, tilting his head as he closed the distance.

"It's no thought, beautiful."

She giggles again.

-XXX-

The other three walked in Buds shadow, Cole using the small lights on his suit to light the way forward, though he kept the Snake close by, just in case she wanted to slip into the darkness.

"I ask you again, Snake, did you see her pass through? The one I call Susan?"

"No. She may have taken these tunnels, they go through the underground like spider webs."

This got Cole to give her a glance.

"How do you know what a spider is? Actually, how do you know how to speak English?"

"Only the blind and stupid fight their enemies without knowing what makes them work. Something your 'XCOM' should've learned to do. As for the spiders, I find them fascinating."

"They creep me out." Luke blurted out, who felt left out in Coles dark shadow.

"The legs? Too many, I know, but that's the magic of them." she hissed warmly, slightly freaking out Luke, who ever so slightly hid behind Cole a bit more.

"What's your names?" she asked.

Luke looked at Cole, but neither said anything.

"Well, I am A1, so if you could stop calling me 'Snake', that would be great."

"A1, you a robot like me?"

"Oh, _far_ from that. It's just a code, and that is that."

"It's a code, a nickname, like mine is 'King' helps protect your identity, doesn't it?"

"Rightly so."

They walked on down the dark dank tunnels, Luke twisted her blade in his hands to keep himself occupied, but his look was that of curiosity.

After a bit, Luke spoke.

"What's this made of? Steel? Looks like it."

"No, no it comes from another world, made by my species greatest producers."

"Its… Pretty neat."

"I thank you."

"Sna- A1, what's… what's it like? Out there, in the far beyond?"

That was Luke's way of speaking of space.

She answered gratefully, but as she did so, a wave of nostalgia passed over her. Too much time was spent wandering the great empty, but now that Earth was ther next target, the sense of stillness from the planets orbit was peaceful, yet bland.

It reminded her of home, and her young, her species. She chased those thoughts away the moment they came.

"Is your kind happy?" He had asked her.

"What?"

"Your species, are they happy?"

"In the eye of our great leaders, happiness runs throughout all life."

"But what about in _your_ eyes?"

That got her, she was stunned – if but for a moment – Of course they were happy, the Ethereal's took them in and nurtured them to greatness.

She said that to him.

"That sounds… well… stupid. Like someone else is speaking for you."

"Well…"

They heard Bud, and someone else's, voices from up ahead. They hurried on in silence, and stopped outside where Bud went, the door was closed. Cole could hear… laughter?

"Bud?" he said, but no answer came except a bit more laughter.

Cole entered through the door, perhaps his most closest call yet.

He had turned his back on an alien and human child, she could have easily taken the blade he held, and run him and Cole through like animals. She could have, but she didn't, she simply peeped over Coles shoulder to look inside, she stood – peacefully – next to the boy, as if they were well acquainted.

That would be the last time he would do something like that again.

Back to what he saw:

Above a large panel of buttons and switches, Bud floated next to a bright red eye, and he was doing something rather… _provocative_ … with one of his arms.

As one, the light and bud switch gazes to the three intruders who stood in the doorway with two small gasps.

A deafening silence passed.

Luke looked past Cole's side, A1 peered over _his_ shoulder, it almost looked comedic.

No one blinked, no one spoke.

Slowly, Cole backs off, eyes locked on Bud, and grasping the door handle.

"We'll be out here!" he said quickly.

"What're they-"

The door slammed closed, Luke's voice died out.

-XXX-

Eventually, Bud emerged from the doorway. If he had a mouth, he'd be smiling.

 _Thank god he doesn't._

"JUST SPOKE TO MOIRA. SHES BRINGING ROUND A TRAIN FOR ME-US!"

"What were you doing in there Bud?" Luke asked, who was sitting against a pillar near the door.

"Don't ask…" said the Snake.

Bud was practically bobbing up and down, begging him to continue, but wisely, he didn't.

The sound of rattling rails made them all stand up, coming from the darkness of one end of the tunnel were two white lights side by side. They were bright, like headlights, coming towards them.

A tram, _the_ tram, slowly came to a halt right by the group, two sets of doors opened up with loud whines. The grey tram, much like the walls, was worn and torn, it was a miracle it still worked.

Luke entered first, then Bud. The inside was open, the sides lined with old rickety chairs that came off the metal ground. The head of the train held one slightly bigger chair, in front of a driving terminal, where a familiar red lighted eye stared back, it said:

"Hop on, I'll take y'all to the Peak, fast as can be!"

Cole turned his body to the Snake, A1, and she did the same, he swear he could see those fires in her eyes die down slightly.

"We thank you for your help, your free to go."

"Yeah? What if I go and tell everyone that you're at the Peak?"

"Then you'd kill us, without looking at us in the eye, like a coward."

"Very clever, King, using my words."

Cole thanked her, and entered the tram. Well, _tried_ to enter, he got stuck in the frame of the door, wheezing and holding his breath, as if that would help.

"Do you… need a hand?"

"No, no I'm good."

"Here." She braces a shoulder, and rams into his rear end, once, twice, three times. And he only made a small amount of space.

So with the help of Bud tugging one arm, Luke the other, they eventually pushed (To Bud, his _fat-ass_ ) into the tram fully.

Cole sat on his haunches, the tram was tall enough, but he sat anyway.

"Luke, give her blade back."

Just in case, Cole's hand was resting on the hilt of his gun.

Luke complied, and held out the weapon, blade first, to the Snake. Whom looked at it thoroughly, maybe hesitantly, before taking it back for herself again.

Despite such little time, she was almost sad to see them go. And that same look was in Luke's eyes.

She started. "King I…" She felt weird calling him that, for good reason.

"It's a dead end for you, A1. Are you sure?"

"Maybe just to the Peak, then I'll go."

"Try anything, and I won't miss next time-"

"Yes, yes, I know."

"Then climb aboard then miss A1!" said the boy with a smile.

"AND I THOUGHT THREE WAS A CROWD!"

-XXX-

The tracks below rumbled passed much more quickly than the road did on the truck. The ride was less shaky too, and only the wind that sailed past companied them.

Bud _talked_ to the trams AI, and Luke and A1 conversed about various things. Such as childhood, how it's been living here and other pointless topics that Cole had no part to take in.

Cole simply sat awkwardly in the confines of the tram, leaning against the side, tipping the tram ever so slightly on an angle. The tram never faltered, and continued to pass the underground mazes without interruption.

The _tnk-tnk tnk-tnk_ of the wheels against steel was peaceful, down here away from the surface toxins. Cole felt like sleeping, a part of his humanity that never left him, but sleep was unnecessary for a machine like him, he could walk for days without stopping, and he was living proof of that.

After some time of quietness took over, Cole watched as Luke lay on three chairs, and fell fast asleep, the Snake had left his sleeping side and sat opposite Cole.

"He's quite content with you." Cole observed.

"Well, I have a way with children."

Cole was silent at that.

"That came out wrong, I have younglings, that's why."

Cole nodded.

"Do you have little ones, Cole?"

"Luke tell you my name? Or did you ask?"

"Both."

"Right. I don't have kids, no."

Cole stared at the infinite grey walls that passed by the tram, then curiosity took him, and he spoke once more.

"What're kid's like?"

She smiled. "Little devils."

Cole returned the look, then noticed his helmet was still on, so with one hand, he took it off, and placed it on his lap.

She now watched the sleeping form of Luke, then asked. "Why do you keep him along?"

Cole sighed. "I don't rightly know exactly, but… I suppose he deserves a chance. A shot of getting out of here."

"But he's slowed you down, hasn't he? You could've already been at the Peak by now if you simply walked on."

"Even if the consequences cost you dearly, life for tomorrow is more important than anything."

"There is… truth, behind your words, Cole."

"Huh, tell that to your friends when you go back."

She would, and she would never forget those words. Even twenty years from now, those words would come back to her head, and help her make the right decision.

-XXX-

"We just have to make a quick stop for some fuel buddies, then we'll be at the Peak."

"Noooo problemmmm." Bud whispered so low only Moira could hear him.

"What's that Bud?" Cole asked.

"NOTHING!"

The tram slowly came to a halt at the next station, and without any human input, two large pipes came out from the small gutters of the tracks, and attached themselves to the undersides of the tram.

Luke stirred from the sudden stop, he rubbed his eyes from sleep, and lazily looked at the other inhabitants of the tram.

"Are we there yet?"

Cole sighed in defeat, A1 merely smiled and slithered over.

"Back to rest, Luke."

"Cant." he said as he sat up. "Once up, can't go down."

"Sounds like Cole, doesn't it?" she whispered.

Luke agreed.

 _tktktktktk…_

The pitter-patter of feet.

Cole was up, insanely fast, magnum pointed out towards the platform. A1 pushed Luke behind her, and drew her blade from her hip.

"Cole." she whispered lowly. "How much ammo you got?"

"… twelve."

 _Not good, curse my intellect!_

She closed her eyes, and searched with her other senses - an old family trick – and found about ten sets of feet closing in on the platform.

"Bud!" Cole said. "Lights!"

"RIGHT ON."

The whole outside of the tram lit up in a great red light. The shadows presented (exactly) ten figures, relatively short, all wearing torn and ragged excuses for clothes. All of them were old, and male, great white beards covered their faces, filled with muck and food from time.

They all held wooden boards with nails stuck on the ends, one of them wielded a black mace, most likely the leader as he was the closest.

Cole took one look, and knew who they were.

The Oldies, fitting name.

"Well… who do we have here?" came from the one with the mace, his age reflected how he sounded, old and haggard, and his voice was as thick as his bushy hair.

"Tin man, you got yerself an alien der? A snake, so it is! How weird, it yer friend ay?"

"What do you want?" he asked.

"You know damn well what it is we want, yer little friend thar, he's what I want, yes, what _we_ want."

Luke shrunk slightly, with a small _Eeep!_ as well, behind the Snakes back.

"Thas right cully, we sees you, so we do. So jus' come on over ere and y'all can be on yer way, playin with yer train and all."

The ones with the nail boards slowly stepped forward, closing off any running attempts.

Cole looked back from the console up front. "We can work something out, sir. Let's just-"

"'Sir!' Oh he calls _me_ 'Sir'! Oh but I'm no 'Sir' no sir-ee, Ripper is me, and ma' little friend ere' is Macey. Say hi Macey!"

Ripper swung Macey menacingly at them from a distance, small _whoosh_ 's of air passed with each swing. Ripper pressed a small button on the hilt, and the mace sparked blue sparks of lightning.

"Oh Macey don' like the way yer pointin' that there gun cully, do us a favour an' lower it, will ya?"

"Try me."

"Fierce! HA! I like it, oh so I do. But yer in no place to test me, are ya?"

"Maybe, maybe not."

"Come then, hand us the kid, you can go, simple right?" He was talking to his old friends, who nodded greedily.

"Back off, I can kill you all before you reach us."

But of course, Cole needed to reload every sixth shot, so there was a strong likelihood that they would indeed be upon them, and those nails looked something fierce.

Four more Oldies came from the far left platform, no guns thankfully, but nevertheless more danger.

"Ripper? We're going to have to decline your offer."

" _What?_ There is no declining _me,_ not when there's double us than _you_!"

"Moira, let's go."

"With pleasure, please stand clear of the doors."

They shut, and that was the cue for chaos.

-XXX-

As one, the Oldies charged head on into the small glass windows of the tram, their heads like rocks as they smashed the glass in. A1 shoved Luke backwards into a far seat as she prepped her blade for a fight.

At least these guys fought hand to hand.

One old man had half his body into a window, she sliced off his arm, then head, in two large sweeps, his limbs fell limp to the floor a second later.

Cole fired four times, killing three and making a fourth collapse in the gap between the platform and the tram.

The four on the left jumped onto the front window, clutching whatever holds they found like monkeys, they swatted their weapons into the glass like madmen, making large cracks in the surface.

The tram was barely at a walking speed.

"MOIRA! LETS GET GOING!"

"Starting off a little slow, but we'll be fine!"

Bud shot off one of the Oldies from a window with a blast. "YOU CAN TALK!"

Cole, not wanting to waste anymore ammo, fired once more before using his kinetic fist to smash another man's head in, sending him flying off the tram in a hurry. He looks right, an Oldie was dangerously close to Luke, who was tucked well underneath a few seats.

Despite limited room, Cole runs over, and pounds the old grizzly face with two hands in a clapping motion. This sent crimson particles everywhere, even on Luke, who went wide eyed.

About six Oldies swung wildly from the windows, despite the tram was at a fair speed now, A1 was having a rather amusing swordfight with an Oldie who only had one limb inside the window. Cole grabbed her shoulder, and pulled her backwards to Luke.

"What! What are you doing?"

He extends his left arm upwards, and slowly yurns his head back to her.

"Killing em' with fire."

Cole lowers his arm, the fuses whistling with anxious gas, he presses a once hidden tube in the direction of the Oldies, and fires.

Literally, he fires _fire._

His concealed flamethrower hadn't seen much combat, not in a long time. And now with several organic targets lined up perfectly, this was an opportunity one should not pass up.

Great red flames spewed out from his arm, sending screaming and burning Oldies to the tracks. The ones far enough away had some time to jump off before being burnt to crisps.

He stopped his flames before he consumed the tram.

Ripper, with two others, still clung to the front window. Bud fired wildly at them, but his shock blasts did little, despite the old timers limber frames.

Cole noticed that on Macey was swinging his shock-mace wildly, Cole was about to warn Bud, but Bud was to close, and flew the wrong way too quick for him to be warned.

Ripper swung the mace blindly, and struck Bud hard in the side. Bud was sent to the ground, not commenting, not yelling, not anything, just thudding painfully to the ground.

Cole and A1 ran up to the front, sliced and diced. Cole put a bullet in the side of Rippers head, and the ones who hung to the front were gone within seconds.

The tram jumped slightly as it ran over the bodies.

Cole holstered his gun, and bent down to the fallen drone, holding it with both metal hands.

"Bud?"

No response.

"Bud!"

"STILL… HERE." It wheezed. A wave of relief passed Cole, but when the red light flickered, worry came back.

"GOT ME GOOD, HEH, IRONIC RIGHT?"

"Shut up Bud, just shut up."

"Bud!" Luke cried, rushing up to their sides, he was about to touch Bud when A1 stopped him, the electric currents flickered dangerously off of Bud's hull.

"Is he going to be alright?" A1 asked.

Cole didn't respond, Bud did.

"IM GOOD, YOUR ALL TO WORRIED ABOUT NOTHING. HA, SOME MACE CANT KEEP ME DOWN."

But its voice had the slightest of pain, and doubt, within.

"B-Bud? Bud baby, what's wrong?" Moira asked, worried.

"NOTHING, IM GOOD." he repeated defensively.

Another ten minutes passed before they reached the end of the line. Bud was now on the dash, as close as could be to the red eye of Moira. Cole placed one hand on A1's shoulder.

"Thanks for coming with."

She smiled in reply.

Luke was at the terminal silently, when they started to slow for the last time, he looked up, and spotted a shadowy figure near the end of the tracks in the distance.

"Guys! Come quick!"

They did, and only Cole managed o make out what it was.

Susan.

She stood at the base of some great steps, head turned to them, he face half illuminated by the trams lights.

Cole was a blur, he practically tore through the trams side in an effort to exit. He ripped off the doors, and bashed out onto the platform that slowly passed them by.

The figure hunched slightly, then practically jumped up the stairs and out of sight.

The tram kept pace with Cole before stopping at the base of the steps.

"Cole!" Luke shouted, halfway out of the tram himself.

"No. Stay here."

"But I-"

"Luke, I have to do this alone. Stay here, keep Bud company. A1, you-"

"Will stay, I'll keep those old bastards at bay here, go."

"Luke, don't follow me."

"But-"

"Stay, for both our sakes."

"Fine." Luke groaned.

Two meters per step, Cole turned and ran after the one he called Susan, practically jumping the steps just like her smaller frame had done, after a second, he was gone too.

The Snake turned - blade at the ready - towards where they had come from, watching like a hawk for the first sign of movement.

She didn't even notice Luke's feet carried off and after the two MEC's.


	6. The Peak

The steps were endless, stretching up above him infinitely, like the dead city he once lived in, still did.

The bright light at the end of the tunnel of steps was like a beacon or goal, only thing that kept him from laying down to rest. The MEC's had it easy, steps were effortless, like breathing, the human child rested one hand on one knee to boost himself further up into ascension.

Each step was slower than the last, his breathing was shorter, raspier. And he hunched from the hastiness of his feet.

He did not stop, much like the MEC.

It felt as if he was emerging from the throat of the jaws of Bloodburne, its cackling face opened its teeth to let the light in at him.

Luke had grown a fair bit during his company with the MEC, his dullness, his determined personality had rubbed off on him somewhat. Cole had not left his side, and Luke didn't want that to change.

Each pace had the hope of being with the MEC behind it.

He did not stop.

Luke ran and ran for countless minutes, or seconds, time was now on the edge, so it seemed. The tram, and the Snake, and Bud and Moira seemed hours away in his shadow. That lady - A1 – her calls were very distant now.

He eventually came to the mouth, the grand opening of the light at the end. A grand room, a weird mix between a lab and a palace, greeted him with pure white cleanliness.

On the sides of this grand room were six odd contraptions, broad 'U' shaped things that glowed violet auras. The centre was a long walkway, with random black holes as if artillery had struck here randomly.

In front – and between – the six sentinels was an even larger version of the broad 'U's. This one towered the room like the stem of a flower, making it a sort of odd fork shape, two sets of stairs wormed around its stem to the 'U' on the peak.

 _The_ Peak, or maybe… _the Source_ of it all.

In its centre of the 'U' was a rip, a tear, like a gash in your arm after a knife sliced threw. In the tear Luke could see a large… _thing_. He couldn't make it out at this distance. So he ran forward.

In between the six were countless tables with infinite clipboards and piles of information. Information, that would've been important, readable even, to the right eyes. But Luke's eye's couldn't make sense of any of it.

Up ahead – ten meters – was Cole, down on one knee, maybe praying. But as he approached, he noticed sparks flashed off his bent leg. Luke pieced together that he had been shot by an arc thrower pulse again.

"Boy, you shouldn't have come." Cole hissed without turning.

"I can help-"

 _Bzzzt!_

A pulse raced passed Luke's head, and he hid behind Cole's form for cover.

This shot gave Cole unknown strength, he raised his viced leg in agony, and slowly went from a light jog to a decent run, Luke followed silently, Cole had no time to chase Luke _and_ Susan, so he said nothing.

A sudden rumble of the ground threatened to topple them over, but they stayed straight until coming to one of the sets of stairs. Without warning, Cole jumped the first three, and pounded up the rest with untold grace.

Luke was sick of stairs already. But he followed like a dog.

Another rumble, the whole palace shook, bits of debris shook of the walls like flakes, and littered the ground they once stood upon.

The stairs groaned under stress and pain.

Luke held his head high to see the path ahead of Cole, he was now gaining ground between them. Near the fork was a walkway, and the suns light spewed out its rays from an unseen window. Luke got a better look into the tear the more he climbed, he could see the large thing from before was… a dinosaur?

Another rumble of an earthquake, this time, Luke did fall. Had he been looking ahead and not up, he would have seen the next six steps give way to the forces of the earth. The stairs bent through a dreamy twisting, and disappeared.

His arms flailed weightlessly, one hand flew up, up, and up, then he hung, hung over the artillery pit that lined itself perfectly with his dangling form. Luke's dark eyes were wide, and he looked on after to the MEC and his undying determination.

"Help me Cole!"

Cole stopped, turned, and saw the boy on his deathbed, one hand clasping desperately to the seventh step.

Cole cast his eyes upwards, eight meters above was a ledge, one that held the leaning form of Susan, who watched on in fascination and intrigue.

Cole drew his gun, and fired all six shots up at her. Each one accompanied a _THWANG!_ as they bounced off of her painlessly.

"I told you to walk away, I tell you _again_."

"Help, Cole, please."

Another rumble, this time all the steps were giving away. Cole gazed at Susan, then the boy. At this moment of choice, between damnation and salvation, Cole no longer saw Luke, he just saw a boy.

A boy who would be the death of him.

Cole activated his jet boots for the last time, and jumped.

"You've killed me."

Luke's clamped hand gave way at the same moment in time. His silhouette faded into the darkness below. As Cole pulled himself up and through to the light, he twisted his head back, and saw nothing, only falling silence, the boy made no cry as he fell into the void below.

Then Cole was up, up onto the metal pavement that was just like the plains before the city. In front of him, twelve steps raised up into a vast balcony that held the rising sun behind it. Stood in the middle of the balcony, arms leaning on the safety railing, was Susan, her back to him, watching the sun.

Behind Cole, the Source flickered and faded. Despite his target's vulnerability, Cole couldn't help but draw himself closer to the tear in time, and look through.

The tear was mere inches from his skulled helmet, and as he peered through, everything he knew, everything he didn't know, was all at question.

In the tear, (which was almost like a painting) Cole saw a giant green dinosaur, withered from the elements. Its mouth agape, and clutching a long thin thermometer thing. The thing it clutched read MOTEL in vertical letters.

Behind and to the left of the dinosaur (It was a statue, it never moved) was the two story motel itself, and a small sign with an arrow above it. Cole stared long and hard at the sign to make out the word below it.

 _Novac_

On the far left was a gas station, and a lollipop sign the read POSEIDON ENERGY around the circle, with a giant 'E' in the middle.

 _What in the hell?_

Cole flicked his head to the jaws of the dinosaur, he saw a figure stood inside the smiling reptile, couldn't have been no more than eighteen years old, he somehow knew. The figure (or boy) was looking to the ground, certainly a height that would kill you if you dropped.

A sudden wave of helplessness came over him, as if the boy really was going to jump, and for unknown reasons, he didn't want the kid to fall, for unknown reasons, the kid must _live_.

 _Don't, it's not worth the pain, the ones you care for would suffer too much. Don't do it kid, cast those thoughts away._

Maybe, just for a moment, the figures black haired face actually locked eyes with him. As if he had heard Cole's thoughts in his own head.

Before Cole could be tempted too much to step through the gate to this place, he remembered Susan, and why he was here. Reluctantly, he stepped back, but wondered.

He climbed the steps to Susan, gun in hand, and waited directly behind her. She simply watched the sun stretch out over the cold city, never speaking, never looking away.

He thought about putting a bullet in her head then and there, but he quickly snagged the arc thrower from her hand, and tossed it over the edge. After a second, he stood beside her, and met her gaze out to the sun.

"You came, you killed, and now what? You're not going to kill the answers now? You thought differently when that kid was about to die."

"Why did you come here?"

Neither of them looked at each other, both were too pained to do so. She sighed before talking. "You came all this way, I won't be vague and dishonest, you probably deserve to know."

"Before I was 'recruited' to XCOM, I was sent on a patrol in the plains. Our target? This place, and find any tech we could use to bolster the military. It didn't take two days before the other five were killed off, and I left them."

"I told my superiors they died to earthquakes, storms and other disasters before we reached the outskirts. That was a lie, I found this place and learned its secrets, secrets that do not belong to anyone to know about. But in my ignorance, I wondered, wondered what else these portals did, and if I could reactivate them."

"That water plant in Australia? The bug's in Sandstone? That was a facility like this, but it failed, I got some data from there when we went."

-XXX-

I pushed him, on purpose, but no one, not even _you_ , thought I would do something like that on purpose. The unlucky Corporal was just there, and I pounced.

He was sent tumbling, and I chased him down, excused because I said I would 'help him' but that wasn't the plan. I helped him up when I reached him, and he was none the wiser.

"Let's check out this passage."

"Colonel, we should be getting back."

"Nonsense, we search the perimeter, and this I think, counts."

We walked down the passage to the open room with the waterfall. The Corporal begged me to return when I went further in to the nearest terminal.

In my hand I held a small data chip I found long ago in my first trip to Bloodburne, and the small ports in the terminal fit the chip, as it clicked in, the Corporal asked me what I was doing, and I simply said nothing, and slit his neck with a quick turn.

The chip, I knew, fit perfectly into the terminal. The secrets the plant provided were now in my hands. But as I took out the chip, a bug lunged at me, if it was not for its recklessness, and my quick thinking to duck, I would've joined it as it tumbled down into the darkness below.

I hung on the edge, then you came, then we left.

-XXX-

"How did you know what was there had the secrets?"

"I've read everything here a thousand times over. Sandstone was a cover up for something else, and I was glad the bugs swarmed there, gave me the prime opportunity to get there."

"Did you plant the bugs?"

She didn't answer, Cole gave her no time to.

" _Did you?"_

"No."

"I don't believe you."

"Would you ever?"

Cole agreed with her there, all he heard from her mouth as lies and deception, and he knew how ignorant he sounded right now.

"So what did you learn from Sandstone?"

"How to activate these things, of course."

"So, what's the Source? What are these things?" he gestured to the 'U' thing that held Novac, and its dinosaur.

"Those things that plague the city, there from another world, the place those gates go to. There are countless more around here, all of them more intriguing then the last. That place with the dinosaur, that's where those things come from."

"The feral's?"

"Yes. Though I imagine they're called something else in that world."

Just then a feral walks through the Source, it turned, scanned, and walked off the edge, it probably didn't die from the fall, maybe.

"Why did it not-"

"Attack? They think me as one of their own, now you too. Something in this places air, maybe."

True enough, the distant steps of dragging feet could be heard down below, the feral was probably lumbering down into the metro to join its plague called friends.

"Why destroy the last stand against the aliens?"

She responded with six words, words that held so much… _to much_ … truth behind them.

"There are no volunteers, only victims."

Susan never considered augmentations, that was not part of the plan. She never _chose_ to join, she never _chose_ to become a machine. No one did, not Cole, not anyone else. To be a part of XCOM was to destroy yourself, and become something greater.

"For the better of humanity."

"That's nothing to get our last hope captured, probably killed, over."

"You wouldn't know, you have no dreams, no visions of the future, no friends, have you ever looked outside of the XCOM countries? Their lives are as if nothing happened, it's perfectly normal."

"I find that hard to believe."

"Perhaps, but , with these portals, we can go back, yes, _we_ can warn our past of the future, guide them into a better path, one where no human has to become a machine because some bitch of a Commander deemed it necessary! You never had consent to become a machine, didn't you? It just happened, because it needed to. The Commander threw countless soldiers to die, and we, the MEC's, were no different. I never wanted my body ripped away from me, and if the Commander had her way, countless others would've met a cruel fate that we are already stuck in."

"Sounds more like madness."

"As I said, you don't know anything."

"I know enough that this place must never be found."

"Your right, it belongs to _us,_ the ones who lost it all."

Cole checks his ammo in his gun, one flick to watch, one to load.

"I'm sorry."

"As am I, if I cannot convince you, do me one last favour, and tell no one of this place. Keep it to yourself."

Cole couldn't leave her here with all this power, not with a small army of feral's she could find a way to control, or stay living after what she did. She willingly got humanity's last hope compromised, and killed, all for nothing.

For nothing, this is what it was, what it all was.

 _Nothing._

He pressed the barrel into the side of her head, finger on the trigger. He stayed like that for a few moments, thinking, wondering, waiting even.

Susan moved her head slightly towards him.

"What are you waiting for? Best hurry before the lockdown takes you with it."

One more rumble.

He squeezed the trigger very slightly, not enough to ignite the powder, but a bit.

Susan grew furious, she moved her head quickly, so as to position his gun right in between her eyes.

"Do it already!"

"I…"

She raised her two arms towards the gun, fast as ever.

This was all the MEC needed to squeeze his finger fully down.

Susan – slowly – fell to her knees in front of him, eyes wide with pain and confusion, for a moment, the look of the crazed Susan was replaced by the young feisty girl in the fitness room, begging for him to fight her. Tears began swelling down Cole's face, as did Susan's.

He didn't want to hear her speak, but she did, her filtered voice cracked, and changed tones like a piano. The fucking augments in her head kept her alive, he could only imagine the clockworks in her head grinding away at her life support, he could only imagine the pain.

"S-Systems… failing."

That self commentary happened to all MEC's. Just a part of their programming. Cole cringed at the hole in her head, he could see her brains seeping out into the light.

Had he made a mistake? Had at the last moment she changed? Came back to her senses and back to reality? He knelt down and held her from collapsing, dropping his mask as he did so.

"Susan. I'm sorry. I-I didn't want to."

One of her metal hands traced the side of his face with two finger, softly, delicately.

"I-I… know."

Her eyes rolled back, and her last vision was that of the rising sun across the wastes.

Cole stayed with her for a while, and when he thought too much time passed, he set her down, and closed her eyes. He hated her, that was true, but he never stopped loving her. Her face would stay with him, as would the boy's, they would haunt him until the day he died. Those defeated faces would watch him when his eyes closed, and he'd never forget.

With one last glance, he walked away, back to the Source, he used his last bullets to try and destroy the gate, but as expected, it kept on going, and the other six (plus the ones he couldn't see) would never turn off.

He leapt, crushing the feral when he landed, and slowly walked back the way he came, this time, he was alone. One last rumble sounded out through the Peak, like a final call, and closed the passage where the stairs once led.

Darkness consumed him once more.

-XXX-

A1 had stayed put on the train, killing off the Oldies to buy Cole the time he needed, to her surprise the one named Ripper had come running down the tracks - blood pissing down his head - mace in hand, yelling curses and profanities. Her blade ended that quickly, and silenced him for good.

When Cole returned, and they rode the tram all the way back. She only asked one question, that was what was at the Peak. Cole replied with six words, 'Something that would destroy us all'. And somehow, deep down, she knew not to pry, and that he spoke the truth. He returned, after all, without the boy called Luke.

Bud stayed in a half dormant state right up until the end of the line. When the wheels stopped, so did he. His red eye gave one last flicker, his vocal cords, one last goodbye, and he switched off. Cole carried him on his back, hoping there would still be a way to bring him back online.

Moira, AI or not, felt lost and alone when her new friends left the Metro, even more so when Bud gave her his last words she would cherish forever. Those words were for her, and her alone.

The MEC and the Snake walked back south, avoiding the alien ship altogether. The feral's, whether out of fear or acceptance, gave them a wide berth, and they passed in piece.

They reached the station, but didn't stay, then the place where the rioting was, blood scattered the ground in sprays, but that was it, it was desolate, they all moved on. Either inland or out, didn't matter either way.

They reached the outskirts, then left the urban wasteland behind them in their shadows. Trekking the plains in silence.

Days later, they stood upon the edge of where XCOM's surface scans still watched, and the MEC and Snake talked one last time.

"I'm sorry again for letting Luke go." A1 had been beating herself up about it nonstop, both in words and in mind.

"Don't be. It's over, nothing can be done."

"No, something can be. Maybe not today, but… someday."

"I'm sure you will. Where will you go now?"

"Not back there, that ship isn't going anywhere, and the crew will die to those feral's. I'll wander, and repay my debt to you."

"You owe me nothing."

"I owe the boy."

"Good luck then."

"To you as well, friend."

They shook hands, and human and alien parted.

A1 would indeed wander, until she would walk into the nearest city centre and call for aid. She would become her kinds last Queen, and have her few children scatter across the globe and into hiding. And when the time came to repay a debt, the face of someone much like Luke would remind her of those days in the Metro, and she would repay.

As for Cole, his feet walked him to the XCOM remnants, and Central's voice came to his ears, despite the lack of a helmet. _Fucking cybernetics._ He thought.

"Identify…self…patch it…better, spot two heat sigs."

"Central, that you?" Cole said as he walked closer to clear up the static.

"This is Central, I'm receiving you."

"The other heat sig, it was, well, I think I saw a snake and…"

"What do you mean you think you saw a snake? What the hell does that have to do with anything?"

"Nothing sir."

"Get back here now. And where the hell have you been anyway?"

Cole wouldn't tell.

-XXX-

Cole sat in the research labs, scorched suit of armour still worn. The whole base was withered and blasted beyond belief, and about half of the staff were killed when he left them behind.

With the Commander gone, and so many killed, the base was eerily quiet.

But there were no witnesses. Cole was safe from accusation. Fate was cold, but Cole was relieved.

No one pried harder to get information out of him then Vahlen, the European was ruthless in her questions. He kept his secrets safe, except for a few. The fact that A1 was a Snake with arms, and he befriended her, and told that she wielded a blade rather than a rifle.

"Interesting." she'd say. "Very interesting. Anyone else there?"

"A boy, dead."

"The way you just said that, was he-"

"He's gone."

"What about your little Bud, is he OK?"

"Shen can't fix him, not unless he had years to find the tech."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't."

"I know a way to fix him. There's a place I've kept secret, captured from the aliens. I believe we can fix him there."

"Anything."

"Then let's go. Don't worry, Central and Shen, everyone, will join us. Were evacuating anyway."

"So XCOM is dead?"

"I'm afraid so."

There was no need to linger, Vahlen, Cole, and a handful of others left for the hanger bay. It had seemed that the Skyranger was perfectly spotless, no scratch nor tear, perhaps it was replaced?

Vahlen was flanked by Cole, who was flanked by three soldiers, but inside the Skyranger where three women, wearing coats you'd see scientists wear.

"Come, King, we can still save the world yet."

-XXX-

A lack of the outside world made Cole think if they were flying to Bloodburne, or hopefully, somewhere else. Vahlen said little the whole trip, no one did.

Wherever this place was, Cole hoped it was safe.

"Captured from aliens, you said?"

"Yes, it's quite secure, my team have been thorough to make sure it stays that way."

"Your team? I didn't know the science division had its own secret force."

"It didn't, the Commanders absence has released my shackles."

He couldn't help but notice that over the time since the first UFO was shot down, that she slowly became enthralled with the advancements of technology. She was like a kid with a new toy when she broke through the locks of plasma, now she was practically beaming, now that certain 'restrictions' were obsolete.

"We will be there soon, you should rest."

"No, no I won't."

-XXX-

In the side of a cliff face, somewhere unknown, (Cole still thought it was America, but couldn't tell where they were exactly), the alien base was swarmed with humans. Vahlen's 'team' did indeed do some good work in clearing out such a large fortress within the cliff. But Cole wouldn't explore the depths to much, the first room had him stunned beyond belief, which was (to his view) hard to do.

The first room was rectangular, pipes littered around the ground like worms. But what dominated the room were three cryotubes. One on the left wall, one on the right, and one in the middle.

The middle one seemed to hypnotise Cole. The being within the tube had its slitted black eyes staring right back at his own, its arms pressed lightly against its water filled prison.

Vahlen stood beside him, and watched on at the being as well, a large smile on her face.

"Cole, meet… Subject Gamma."


	7. The Subject of the End

Cole took a long, dead cold sleep, but in his senses, the presence of Gamma never left him. A snake, no more than a hundred meters or less, was there, seeming to watch him through the earthen walls.

He dreamt of Susan and Luke, their faces were ones of shock and awe. They (himself included) couldn't believe he had killed them.

Luke, fallen into the abyss, had held that face until Cole looked away. No scream, no yell, no curse, just… unbelieving and… disappointment.

And Susan, in her disgust for the methods that XCOM used to combat the aliens, had died for it. Cole ended her crazed visions of destruction and terror with inconceivable power.

Methods she thought cruel, only got worse, and Cole paid for it.

He had taken one long sleep – it felt like ages since the last – and paid for it.

He hunched in the furthest room from Gamma and the two others. (he didn't care much for their names) He placed Bud and his revolver on an empty table, and slept. Alone, but not for long.

His sensors dimmed during Bloodburne, so it seemed.

Under his arms, near the pit area, two cords stuck into him with electronic buzzes. He jumped, and felt his holster which was empty, gone. He scanned.

Vahlen, and two lab coat wearing assholes, had attached him to a small clipboard that Vahlen held, he tried to move his arms, couldn't, his feet were still, and his head spun around crazily.

" _What are you doing?"_

"I need to know. Trust me."

" _Stop!"_

She didn't, and terabytes of information slipped from his head like a waterfall, and he felt them leave him. First the drone, the boy… then the city…

 _NO!_

"Cole, stop fighting it."

" _You can't know!_ "

"Why?"

He repeated himself, now sanding all the more insane.

"Reconfigure his parameters."

"Ma'am, it's his suit, his rule."

"Try, then."

They did, and failed.

-XXX-

Years passed.

Enough so that Vahlen's face now wrinkled with age. Despite the times passing, little progress was made to get into the MEC's head, dismembering him would most likely kill him, and further hacking would trigger one too many fail safes.

But she had a plan.

The boy… Luke? Had an unseen impact on Cole, he thought of him as a son, and if Luke felt the same, then maybe, just maybe…

Vahlen had brought Cole's original body to the base, a bargaining chip to him, she lied that she could give it to him, replace cybernetics with bionics again, but still, he did not listen, or comply.

So she left him, and return to the three.

Two kings and a queen.

The Gamma, oh how he was truly fascinating. The queen and the other king were but mindless, primal hunters, she devoted little of her time to them, most of it went to Gamma. Those black iris' were like voids of unseen knowledge. Behind them, she thought he was already thinking of numerous ways to escape.

"I now have the opportunity to be shown your true potential, and what secrets you give me." She whispered as she stood before Gamma.

Gamma said nothing.

"You were but a limbless being, now look at you, your _perfect._ "

Still Gamma said nothing.

Her voice sounded crazed even in her own ears, truly these were exciting times, exiting times indeed.

-XXX-

Vahlen sent scouts, spies, and others to watch how the new cities grew under alien supervision. She had one city watched over in every country, and the results never varied. The sickness, the diseases that would've been termed 'common' were now 'non-existent'. Not even so much as a cough could be heard or seen in the streets.

But deep down, she knew better.

She needed someone on the _inside._ Someone to live there, and report to her all about it.

She noticed that there were other bases like hers dotted around the world, these were the sources of population, and as the months passed, years even, those bases slowly became uninhabited.

But she could not simply ask a deserter to become her envoy, she needed someone she could trust, and to do her bidding.

In the furthest darkest reaches of the her personal base in the cliff, she worked and worked, sometimes for days straight. True she had three capable rulers at the front door, but they weren't exactly… _discreet_.

Using the combined DNA of her favourite person (Gamma), and the headless body of Cole, she slowly unravelled the wonders of creating life with machines and artificial methods. She had much experience in this field, growing life from husks, it's how Gamma and the others came to be.

She went from the alphabet, 'A' through to 'Z'. 'A' would be the most human, more DNA based, then 'Z' would be the most alien, most like Gamma's kind. The reptile in question was in fact the only one of its kind, the only _male_ she had ever witnessed in her time.

With these new hybrids, the strengths of both, the weaknesses of neither, her rulers would take back earth with little effort.

But of course, there were problems, failures – countless failures.

The first batch of six were too weak, the last six too reckless. The first thirteen subjects were more human-looking, the last thirteen more alien-like. But only four of all twenty six subjects had succeeded, and quite well so.

As all the cryotubes lined the chamber, and Vahlen stood before them like a god. The four tubes slowly unfilled themselves of water, and its subjects slowly awoke from stasis.

These subjects were: I, J, K, and L, she named them ' _the Four'._

-XXX-

More years, and Vahlen spent them perfecting her creations.

She learned of the prime city in which to plant her seeds of life. A city only recently… _assimilated,_ into the alien fold.

Once known as Mount Isa, was now dubbed _New_ Isa.

One by one, she ushered them into Isa, starting with 'I'. She was dark skinned, a thick wad of hair, and a fearless attitude, like Central.

She was a leader at heart, and not one to question where her loyalties lay.

She was taken into the fold. The aliens had no issues.

Once there, she took a surprisingly short time to establish a splinter cell within the depths of the city, her charismatic traits got her all the support needed to strike out within a month.

'J', more of the brains, less fire, but loyal, was next.

He was taken in.

J lived harmoniously - but ever sceptical - in the word around him. 'I' met 'J' in a small diner, and she quickly took him in, soon they both led the inner resistance of Isa.

'K', a more comedic approach to things, was a sort of lever to the others. He took things seriously when they needed to be, but most often he would bring others spirits up, he was more of a support role in the Four.

'K' was suspicious of I, and surprisingly didn't want to join her and J. But that would change, it was Vahlen's will against there's after all.

Vahlen studied all this _in_ Isa itself, she walked the streets anonymously, and no one gave her a second glimpse. No one, not even the aliens, knew she was alive, so that made things easier.

She had 'mistakenly' ran into 'K' on one of her walks, and whispered clear instructions into his ear. Along with three words, three words like some vocal fail safe like the ones in the Four's heads.

The next day, 'K' was one with 'I' and 'J'.

She took the Skyranger back to America, back to her base, to deal with her last subject.

She thought it bland to simply 'force' 'L' to join the others, 'K' already had done that approach, so she needed to _spice things up._

There stood 'L', next to his cryotubes, looking about stupidly, not knowing what to do. The late twenty year old man held short hair above his green eyes, and his face was full of innocence. L had iron in his knuckles, if he wanted, he could smash a skull in with little effort, it may have been useless to implant such things, but Vahlen did it anyway, curiosity got the better of her.

Maybe he would smash skulls in at some point.

These four subjects all had the _gift_ , the same gift the Psi Operatives have to influence minds and cast psionic energy at their will, but she never gave them the potential to use them, not yet.

Maybe she'd do it later, but not yet.

Cole needed to see this.

-XXX-

Cole was a prisoner here, he could kill everyone, but would die doing so, he could leave, but where would he go? He was a disgrace of a machine and human combined, and he hated sleeping, but that was all he had.

All he had was the closing of his eyes, and the faces of the dead.

Until now, countless years after Bloodburne.

There he stood, next to Vahlen, next to 'L', and what Cole saw in the young man's eyes were a cold emptiness, endless purposeless. But in this man's face, in those grassy eyes, Cole saw…

Luke. So much of Luke in that face, a boy's, mixed with a man's.

"He look familiar?"

"What is this?"

"I know that little boy had a large impact on you, didn't he? Well, now he's back, Luke may be dead, but his name will live on."

"I don't understand."

She places a cruel, if possessive, hand on the man's shoulder, he didn't react, no flinch or movement of his body or eyes, just a plain face, no words, no emotion.

"Well, subject 'L', that _was_ his name, but now. Now his name is _Luc_. For you, spell it differently, but he's yours."

She whips out an unseen slip of paper, written on it was 'LUC', she shows it to Cole, then to 'Luc', she then whispers it into his ear, among other things. This seemed to ignite the hidden artificial life within this hybrid. His eyes light up slightly as he stared at the word, then he stands up slightly taller, and switched looks between Cole and Vahlen.

The hybrid watched Cole for a sign of movement, when none came, he smiled, a real genuine smile, not crazy, but kind.

"Hey, Dad."

Luc's voice was deep, but not filtered like Cole's, had it been, he would've sounded the same as him.

Luc was that of a perfectly healthy late twenty year old, even though he was only about ten seconds old.

Cole couldn't help but feel his lower lip tremble, if he could cry, he would right now.

"You're a monster."

Cole wasn't sure who he was talking to, but Vahlen replied quickly, almost with venom in her voice.

"What would you know? You've sulked in this place, not complying with us, with me. I've given you a son, something to help cheer you up, yet you turn us away. The world's gone on, we need to go with it, we need to change."

"And make giant snakes? Make these... these hybrid's to do your bidding?"

"I can control them. I've put _countless_ safety protocols in place, we will be fine."

"No… No we won't."

A small bud in Vahlen's ear whispered something into her, and she nodded, as if the whisperer could see her.

"I must tend to something. Luc, stay here with Carl, I'll be back soon."

 _Carl?_

"OK ma'am."

Vahlen smiles at Luc, glares at Cole (or Carl) and leaves.

"You alright, father?"

Cole waited a while before answering.

"No."

His voice was distant.

-XXX-

Cole slowly became attached to the hybrid named Luc. He was fierce when he wanted to, but he always was polite to him, respectful even, to Cole. Although he kept calling him 'Carl' because of Vahlen.

Luc would ask many things about the world, Cole would answer, just like Susan had for him. Despite Luc being a creation, a _thing_ , Cole liked the company, and true enough he became a son, a son he couldn't, and wouldn't ever have.

But it was never enough, no matter how many words they exchanged, how many times he even brought Cole close to laughing, or the fact Luc actually genuinely thought Cole was Carl, his father. It wasn't enough, not enough for Cole to spill his secrets.

Speaking of Vahlen, she had come up in one conversation, and one only. They held talk's near the cryotubes, Luc didn't mind.

"So, whose my mother?"

"Vahlen didn't say?"

"No, to be honest, I don't really like her."

"Truly?"

"Yeah, just something about her, I don't know."

Cole considered telling him that he was a creation, and that she was his _creator_. But Cole knew that such things would be unbelievable, Vahlen would've no doubt put another of those annoying fail safes in this man's head if that came up.

But Cole knew Luc spoke truly, he just knew, he had that feeling of trust within him again.

"Well, I never really pursued a woman, maybe Susan…"

"Susan." Luc repeated out loud like a robot would to a keyword. "That's her. How'd you meet?"

"Well, I'm no ladies man, and it was purely on her side that we truly got together. But we speak no more of her, no more, alright?"

"Alright."

That was just one of the many times Vahlen's little twisting of the subjects words would try and pry the information out of him. Cole suspected Luc didn't like Vahlen because he was meant to. A cruel, but clever way to do it.

-XXX-

In unison, Vahlen and Cole thought about the effects of 'Carl's influence on subject 'L'. Sure she could simply reprogram Luc with three simple words, but to leave things alone, and watch them bloom, that was the interesting part.

Vahlen lied about Shen and Central coming here, they wouldn't understand, they wouldn't accept the fact that using these rulers and the hybrids was the only way to ensure success in this alien world. The ultimate unity of alien and human started with her subjects. It would've been much easier, had more of them awoken from her testing.

Only four, four simple, yet complex beings made from alien DNA. With the _gift_ imbedded in them as well, ultimate tools of destruction, bringers of order, _her_ order.

She worked on the rulers once again, the Four, plus these three, would truly be unstoppable.

Over the time Earth slowly became an alien planet to her, the changes in the aliens themselves continued to fascinate her, when her spies described them, sent her pictures, she was astonished, and inspired.

So subject Alpha was born. What was once a legless 'Floater', was now a king among peasants, a bright staff outside his tube lay dormant, slanting to the side, its legs replaced by powerful jets, she was also inspired by Cole, and his twisting of flesh and metal in his body.

She went on to Beta, a Berserker, a real bitch, fierce, uncontrollable, with two gauntlets to help unleash her fury, she was the real _punch_ of her order, where as Gamma was more of the brains, and Alpha was more of an in between.

Oh if she could make them speak, she would work on that, maybe even succeed.

But for now, Gamma needed her, she knew he did, she _wanted_ him to need her.

-XXX-

Vahlen seemed to grow tired of having her spy Luc try and try again to get information from Cole. She came up to them one day when they were walking together nearby Gamma and the other cryotubes, and told Luc that he must go.

"Go where?"

"Your new home." she replied, the smile on her face affecting her voice.

"And Carl? Will he be joining me?"

"No, no he will not."

Cole went to argue, but knew there was no point. It wasn't his son.

 _Yes, it is_

 _No, it's not_

Those thoughts were his own voice, but his soul agreed to the former, he knelt down to the man's level, placing one hand on his shoulder.

"Good luck, son. I hope you find what you're looking for."

"And what _am_ I looking for, dad?"

"That's for you to find out."

Luc placed a hand on his fathers, then released him.

Luc went to the Skyranger, and he was flown to Isa, he would not return for some time.

-XXX-

On the streets of Isa, when Luc was sure Vahlen had indeed left him, gone up the street a ways. He opened his palm, the one that touched Carls hand, and within his fingers sat a small screen, with one button on the side. It looked like a small phone, to be honest.

He flicks the button, and static ensues the screen for a few moments, before clearing up a little.

The screen flickered into focus, showing a small cargo room, random boxes and what not.

It was still.

"Hello?"

Nothing.

Luc waited for a time, then Carl came into view, his metal suit filling up the screen fully. Carl always seemed to wear that thing, maybe he was cut up? His body covered in the suit to help him move? He was quite big after all.

"Luc?"

"Hey dad! What's this thing for?"

"We can keep contact, of course."

"Right."

"What's Vahlen sending you to do?"

"She wants me to see some people, Indira, think her name is."

"Don't let her make you do anything, you're your own man, Luc. I-"

"It's OK dad, I can handle myself. But, will you be coming here? Coming home?"

"Home? Not my home anymore."

"C'mon dad, it's nice so far."

"You know what Vahlen said, boy."

"So… her word is law?"

"For now. But soon, I think I'll be there."

"You promise, dad?"

"I promise."

They said goodbye, and Luc walked up the street, hands in his jeans pockets. He didn't stop until he stood outside a bright colourful building, with neon lights lighting up the words…

Well, he couldn't read the first word, but the last one said 'Diner'.

-XXX-

" _You bitch!_ "

"Calm yourself, MEC."

"Is this all your plan is for! To send four kids into a city, and get themselves _killed?_ "

"There just hybrids Cole, you know this, or have you come to care for 'L'?"

"You're sick."

Cole stormed away.

-XXX-

Vahlen knew a lot of things, so many things, but when the realm of science stopped when it came to creating life, it stopped. Particularly, when aliens were involved.

She sent out a team armed with arc throwers to capture an alien. They returned with a snake, quite a large snake, with two weak arms. It was indeed a female Thin Man, as she found out after cutting it open and unravelling its secrets from the inside, using cruel tools that looked like jagged teeth.

She ordered another, and they delivered.

This one she used to test what made its senses tingle, what parts of its body hurt, and what brought pleasure.

It died after its brain became scrambled.

She used its husk as a template, and created her own clone of it, she noticed before the subject died that it was infertile, she quickly changed that.

This time, oh, this time was the one.

The one mistake that would cause a chain reaction of failures.

She wanted to move Gamma down to the enclosure, a big empty room with one large window for observation. But something terrible happened before he could be moved.

The slightest of errors in the containment process, the tiniest sliver of an opening in the cryotubes, was all Gamma needed to break free from his prison… like a sheet of ice.

He slithered into a small air duct in the wall, and was gone. The base was on high alert nonstop, and people became restless at the lack of finding his whereabouts.

Days past. No sign of him, or the alien female.

The female was a clone, Vahlen used the last two subjects as template for a new, fertile creation, one she would've tested to see his they could reproduce.

After countless days of searching, one of her assistants – Fisher – had stumbled across a cluster of eggs, reptilian eggs.

At least she got her answer.

 _-XXX-_

Cole learned about what Vahlen wanted to do to Luc and the other three in Isa. And he was appalled.

How could someone be so heartless? To their own people? Own creations?

"Yes, I gave him sickness, a terrible disease I know, but I think the aliens have found a way to cure such illnesses, Luc will go and find it out for me." she had said.

She denied when Cole told her that she had simply gone too far, that to win a war with creations, _and_ experiment on them, was insane.

Well, _more_ insane.

Cole found himself becoming more and more like Susan. Liking the goal, hating the methods.

He stood before Gamma, his tube ready to be moved to someplace for more tests, Cole had a deep suspicion the snake felt like Cole did, and they had an unseen bond of similarity between them.

The MEC watched the snakes midnight eyes, and saw the gleam of hope of escape come and go every time the tube moved or hissed.

It only took Cole's nudge of an elbow against one of the scientists to start the chain of failures.

-XXX-

The Angelko King bred rapidly with his first (of many to come) mate. She birthed his young exceptionally quickly, and the younglings grew into strong capable neonates, all thanks to that Vahlen woman, of course.

He didn't know if Vahlen was on her side, but no others were, that was for sure.

Except the hulking machine that let him go.

The King was glad of Vahlen's endless inquiry's, she had constructed makeshift guns for him and his newborns to use. He sent his young to sneak in, grab the guns, and sneak back to his lair.

The humans never saw them.

With each young that was born, more and more offspring became at first potential, then reality. They cherished him like a god, pleasured him, adored him, loved him. His thoughts were law, his black spikes were a sign of royalty in his new kingdom.

Like a general, he sent psionic orders to his kin, they began striking out and killing off the humans one by one. Sometimes he himself would appear, but not to fight. No, spreading his self across the base was his concern.

The King emitted his icy presence over every surface near him, wrapping everything up in cold hard ice, they sent pleasant chills up his body, his kin included.

His kin reached up to thirty now.

Chaos ensued.

Slowly but surely, the King's kin outnumbered the humans.

He watched as Vahlen tried and failed to assemble messengers to warn the outside world. The King wouldn't have that, not one bit, this was _his_ home now, and the human's weren't allowed to leave alive.

With one exception.

The King, flanked by two of his kin, watched Vahlen disappear into the thicket beyond his new home. She was shocked to find him acting this way, particularly to her, but he was no specimen of her, no, he was a King.

A merciful King, this would be the only time he would let someone live.

She ran off, and he would never see her again. One of his newborns invaded his head with a message.

 _Every last human is gone. One more remains, the machine._

 _Show me to him._

-XXX-

Cole had been holding a suitable choke point inside the cargo bay, near the chamber were Luc came from, he had killed many snakes, but took too many hits, even for his durable form to handle.

He had many holes tearing through his arms and chest, metal melted, and his skin corroded.

He had no more ammo, Cole would fight no longer. He placed his magnum and gun by the bench, the one that held the husk once known as Bud.

 _Ssss…_

He goes up to the opposite wall, the camera, the one that goes straight to Luc's device, was activated to his presence.

He spoke in a voice filled with sadness, yet a bit of determination as well,, he couldn't look weak, no, he had to be strong.

"My son, I won't be coming home, I know I promised you this but… Well, it's not my home, it's not yours either. I didn't tell you this because Vahlen would've found out most likely. You're a creation Luc, never forget that. But Vahlen can't control you anymore, I made sure of that. I know I'm asking a lot of you from this, but believe me when I say that to continue the fight is the wrong path. For me, I learned it the hard way, now look at me…"

A deep breath.

"I know they won't find you if you get away, run from Isa Luc, don't look back. You've got fight in you, I know, but it's not worth it. Just like your mother… Heh, no, she's not your mother, no one is, and I'm not really your… your father, either. But I won't let the aliens know how important you really are. I'll make sure of that. Good bye, I still think of you as a son, I hope you live a normal life, and never see Vahlen again."

Cole thought it wasn't enough, but could think of no more, the camera lights faded, and the message was sent.

 _Ssss…_

That hiss was more ferocious then the last.

Cole turns his body to the doorway, and saw Gamma, flanked by countless other snakes.

So there, King and King, stood off, and only one would walk away alive.

Cole, in his last final attempt, would take as many as he could with him.

The King – the alien – pointed one crude black-nailed finger at the MEC, and as one, two dozen snakes slithered forwards, guns at the ready.

 _Thump! Thump! Thump!_

The grenades flew, and exploded.

 _Chk-Bm! Chk-Bm!_ _Chk-Bm!_

Three bolts sent soaring through the air in retaliation, imbedding themselves into Cole's form like arrows in flesh.

He charged forwards.

 _Chk-Bm!_

 _Chk-Bm!_

He never faltered.

He grabbed a snakes upper and lower jaws, and ripped them apart like a sheet of paper.

 _Chk-Bm!_

He used the confine spaces to his advantage, ripping apart heads and limbs with both hands, sometimes two at the same time.

Behind the King a new snake emerged, this one holding a fang-like blade (this was in fact, the first one the King bred with) in its hands. For a moment he thought it was A1, but those scales were yellow, not blue like his friend's was.

Vahlen must've seen that part.

She seemed so much faster as he tore away at the King's kin.

He swiped his hands, missed. Tried again, hit nothing. The bolts in his body took their toll finally, it seemed.

The blade-wielder brought the blade up to the ceiling, slicing through his right arm like butter. His arm half dangled to his side lazily, useless.

But Cole was a lefty.

He killed to more snakes with one hand, and one foot. Squashing heads, sending yellow blood spraying everywhere.

Cole felt like he did in that rioting crowd in Bloodburne, his vision was nothing but snakes as he was sent to one knee by another sword swipe.

A fountain of crimson red poured from his left temple all the way to his chin. The blade cut deep but…

He didn't falter.

One giant hook of his clenched fist sent countless snakes flying, and blood flowing.

Another swipe by the invisible snake that wielded a sword, and his right arm was sent to the ground, thumping in defeat, the fingers twitching in a last effort to kill.

Countless snakes jumped on his back, adding to the weight to bring him to the ground. He threw to off, one after the other, crushing their necks as he did so, but they were soon replaced by more, and stronger ones at that.

 _Chk-Bm!_

This grey bolt went straight through his neck, had he been human, that would've killed him. But it only proved to be a minor inconvenience.

Cole was now on his back, shielding his face with his remaining arm. He could feel and hear many of the aliens atop him, scratching his metal harmlessly.

Unseen to him, the one with the blade pulled back, and so did the King.

Inch by inch, Cole slowly slumped to the ground, weakening by the minute. A face of determinations painted his features, he realised it was over, no matter how many he killed.

Cole launched one last grenade, close quarters be dammed.

A great fireball engulfed him and the surrounding aliens, leaving one giant black scarred crater in the cold ground. Bud, along with his weapons, shook under the shockwave, but were not affected by the blast.

Cole closed his eyes, first a giant fiery sensation washed his face like water, then relief came, along with a final peaceful sigh.

Cole's pain - at long last, ever since his augmentation into the MEC suit - was over.

His last thoughts were that of Susan.

-XXX-

Vahlen went by foot, then by sea, back to her subjects. She was nothing if but resourceful, she had many escape routes planned, but never thought of the idea of using them.

Wearing a long black hoodie over herself, she wandered the streets, Luc by her side, and at last came to the alien clinic that held secrets she _still_ wanted to know about.

Outside the main doors, she and Luc faced each other, for the last time.

"Tell me again, Luc Weldon."

"I have a father, I have a mother, I did not receive my father's last message, I know not of who he is or why I am here, I simply am, and that is that."

"Good, and what are you going to do now?"

"Find out if they can fix me, if so, I am to wait."

"For my words, you mean?"

"Yes."

"Good, then I'll walk you to your appointment."

"Alright."

They went through the double doors, Vahlen scanning all around for any sign of trouble or suspicion.

There was none.

Down a hall.

And another.

Now they stood in a waiting room, for a few moments some blood was taken from Luc, and they waited another five minutes in the desolate room all to themselves.

Six doors on the right side, six chairs on the right, the two of them sat in those chairs side by side, waiting.

"Mr. Weldon?" a young nurse called from one of the doors.

Vahlen and Luc stood, walked to the doorway, and gave each other goodbyes.

Vahlen leant and spoke into Luc's ear, and muttered the three words, words that would make him forget any of this happened, forget her, forget anything else.

After she spoke, Luc's eyes went empty, and he hastily went into the room, and sat down with the nurse.

Vahlen shut the door and left.

Even the slightest mention of his father would trigger a memory failsafe, and Luc wouldn't remember him unless he was mentioned again, but in this city, Cole had no say, nor presence here.

She made sure of that.

Even if he came up again, Luc wouldn't ponder on him for too long.

-XXX-

With subject 'I' now, they were in the darkest reaches of the underground below the streets, a whole cell of rebels behind them. Vahlen gave 'I' a small video recording, complete with a small data pad.

"What's this?" 'I' asked.

"It will help you recruit Luc, it may need some changes though."

"Very well."

"If he asks, tell him you stole it. OK?"

They parted. Vahlen knew that the video may not work, but had a feeling it would.

-XXX-

Indira finished her edits of the video of the MEC an hour after Vahlen left. She knew her changes were cruel, inhumane even.

But it was all for the cause.

-XXX-

Vahlen left Isa for good, she wandered the globe randomly, in search of another safe haven for her to find. She was tempted to go back to the base in the cliff and confront the King, maybe Cole as well, but that idea passed on like the wind did her hair.

Luc would never hear word from Vahlen, and Vahlen wondered, deep down, what he would do without her there to guide him. He would forget the video of his father, and if nothing intervened, it would stay that way.

But if she made him anything like Cole, then 'normal' wouldn't exist.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-

 _-XX-XXXX-XXXXXX_Xx_-_

 _A Long Time Later_

Hand in hand, Angelko and human walked together into the farthest reaches of Vahlen's base. What was once cut off from them by piles upon piles of ice from the King, were slowly melted away, both from time and from tools. Unknown to them, there lay a chamber filled with tubes, and a bench with a drones husk. Beside said bench was the remains of a MEC.

The human – The Psi Op – was about to find home. The Angelko squeezed his hand, and he felt the anxiety pass away.

He walked forward, the answers lay ahead.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-

 **A/N: This story is a direct prequel to 'Humanity's Ascension'. (I should have said that at the start)**

 **I hope this answers the many questions that were left lingering around like fog. I had to constantly refer to the early chapters on H.A. to keep in line with what happens/happened. And It was almost painful, I'd rewrite them but… No.**

 **I hope most of you got the nod towards the other world through the Source. (If you didn't, well, its Fallout: NV) That world is the next chapter in this legacy, maybe some crazy crossover is in order, I don't even know.**

 **Anyway, hope y'all liked it, so I hope.**


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